


Mark of the Ouroboros

by Kira_Dattei



Series: The Deva Chronicles Universe [2]
Category: No. 6 - All Media Types, Sono Yubi Dake ga Shitte Iru | Only the Ring Finger Knows
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Developing Relationship, Don't Have to Know Canon, M/M, Magic, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-08-25 11:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 89,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16659949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Dattei/pseuds/Kira_Dattei
Summary: Core: a kernel of power that grants the person it awakens within abilities.Oni: people who use the abilities they gain from their cores to harm others.Devas: an organization of people who fight the Oni and protect civilian.Wataru doesn't buy into the hype of having a core, of being capable of things once considered "magic" or "impossible". But life doesn't happen the way everyone likes and he has to accept what his life has to become. At least there are people willing to help him along the way. He's got his sister, his best friend, and someone who is coming to mean more to him than anyone else ever has.Crossover with No. 6 characters Shion and Nezumi from chapter 11 on.





	1. Concerning Cores

**Author's Note:**

> Well, hello there again Only the Ring Finger Knows fandom. I know I already have a WIP here, but this idea has been building in my brain for like a year now and I was smacked with inspiration that worked out many of the final holdups on how things in the world would work and so this has been written. So, there's a few things before we get started:  
> 1: This work is completed. It is NOT a WIP that will leave people hanging. I will be posting updates once a week.  
> 2: There are going to be many fics spanning many different fandoms. The fandoms planned to be included are this one, No. 6, Yuri!! On Ice, Teen Wolf, Spartacus, and Glee. While there is an overarching storyline to connect them all besides all occurring in the same world, that won't always be the case and I will do my best to include details from other stories that are referenced so people aren't required to read characters and fandoms they aren't familiar with. Not discouraging reading the other fics in the least, but I understand just not being interested in other fandoms. ^_^  
> 3: Nezumi and Shion show up in chapter 11 and have a significant role through the end of the fic. I am also currently working on the story focused on those guys now and am about halfway done. I will start posting as soon as it is completed.  
> 4: There is a glossary of terms in the end notes.  
> 5: I hope you enjoy! ^_^

“I don’t know what to do.”

“You’ll figure it out. The answer is always there if you look hard enough.”

“I won’t know if the answer is right, though. I’ll mess it up.”

“You’re smarter than that. You may not get the best grades in school or even feel like you know that much, but you’re smart where it matters. You can figure out people, and that’s invaluable. Never stop looking at people. Keep figuring them out.”

“They don’t like it when I do that.”

“Just stop telling them what you notice. It’s your secret, yours to only tell who you decide deserves to know. Just like what I’m entrusting to you is a secret. You only have to tell who you choose and you’ll never get in trouble for not telling. I made sure of that.”

A faltering breath.

“Do you have to?”

A warm smile.

“Yes, I have to, but I also choose to. Never forget that I would never choose anyone else but you for this.”

He didn’t believe that.

He never would.

Because he never understood what anyone else saw in him.

It was his secret to keep.

* * *

_I need a favor,_ the text had said. _I’ll owe you big time. I’ll be in your debt for at least weeks,_ it had continued.

Wataru wasn’t sure what he was going to make Kawamura do to pay him back for this, he just knew it wasn’t going to be something quick and easy. He was even considering telling Kawamura he wasn’t taking anything but cash to literally pay him for this. But then he’d have to figure out a reasonable price that Kawamura would actually be willing to hand over.

“…The first core was recorded in the late 1800s, but there’s plenty of evidence to support that they had existed for some time before that, but people were afraid of coming forward and exposing their abilities. Studies have supported that the first wave of awakening cores occurred in the mid-1800s. Either way, in the time since, users of cores have become an integral aspect of society today, making up nearly half of the population, with no apparent favorability to gender, ethnicity, or location, and only some predisposition toward hereditary influences.”

Really, if the guy was going to tell them exactly the same thing as they’d heard since they were kids, he could at least do something to make it more interesting, Wataru decided. But, no, he just droned on through his lecture without any hint of variety from what everyone in the class already knew.

The only reason they were hearing about it now was for the sake of the students who were users and were going to pursue a career using their abilities, which meant they had to apply by the time school finished up in three months, so their last year of school would include specialized curriculum to get them heading in the right direction for their chosen field.

Not that Wataru had to worry about any of that, since he wasn’t a user.

“Most of the terminology we use – core, user, disposition – was determined by those first known generations, the names seemingly coming from the abilities themselves to claim their own title and we have respected that.”

More like people didn’t know better than to think a few guys just agreed it all sounded good and called it all the same thing.

People added too much mysticism to the cores when they didn’t need to. Wataru didn’t give into that, didn’t believe in giving anything undue attention. Just call it what it was called and don’t bother worrying about where the name came from. Besides, there had been plenty of studies conducted with advancing technology that allowed them to understand the cores and how they worked, so there was no reason to pretend they didn’t know what they were dealing with.

In a lot of ways, cores were as natural to people as the brain or heart or lungs. It had just taken a bit longer to get a handle on understanding that.

“So, what is a core?” A dramatic pause just long enough to make the students wonder if the teacher really wanted anyone to raise their hands. But, of course, he didn’t and just picked up talking. “Put as plainly as possible, it is a collection of energy produced by the human body that can be utilized in a variety of ways. Depending on where the core resides, it either draws replenishable energy from the beating of the heart or the electric impulses that control our nervous system in the brain. The human body produces so much energy just to exist and the cores focus that energy into something we can use. How that energy manifests is the user’s disposition. There are currently over a hundred different dispositions on record. And while a few are thought to be extinct because of how they have been abused and targeted in the past, we are still too early in our knowledge of cores to say with certainty that any disposition ever disappears completely.”

This didn’t affect Wataru at all. He wasn’t a user. He didn’t have a disposition to classify, to register, to decide what to do with.

So, what was he?

Glancing over to his side, he decided as he restrained a sigh: he was a damn good friend who went to lectures that didn’t concern him because he believed in offering moral support.

“I realize everything I’m saying is information you’ve known since you were children, learning about the world and what people were capable of. However, you’re older now; you understand more now. More importantly, you know what you are capable of, what disposition you exhibit. You are looking at your future with experience and there are many that just want to make sure the choice you make is one that you won’t come to regret. While no choice is final and you may retract any application at any time, it is my goal to see that a majority of you make a choice you don’t regret. Just know that whatever you choose, whether it is to pursue a path of your core being a guiding force in your life or to have a career that has nothing to do with your core, it is your life and everyone should find the life that makes them happiest.”

Well, at least Wataru didn’t disagree with that, dramatic as it was. This guy was definitely one for flair once he got warmed up. Kawamura was probably getting a kick out of this; he liked dramatics, prone to them as he was. Another glance to his side, though actually focusing on his friend’s expression this time around, he saw that Kawamura instead looked distracted, like he wasn’t paying much attention.

Wataru shifted around in his chair so he was leaning a bit closer to Kawamura, lifting up a hand to rest over his mouth, putting on appearances of looking thoughtful while he was just helping direct the sound towards his friend.

“I shouldn’t be paying more attention than you,” he complained, the corner of his lips lifting as Kawamura actually startled a little.

Kawamura recovered quickly enough, sending a grin Wataru’s way. “This part of his speech is the same as it was last year,” he whispered back. “But for us, he should be going into more details about Devas.”

“What more do you need to know? They’re the most open about details of operations than any other agency in the world. How else are they supposed to keep people supporting them as the first option when it comes to dealing with Oni?”

Now Kawamura gave him a flat look, conveying that he was merely tolerating Wataru. Usually, Wataru was giving Kawamura that look, and he’d obviously been taking notes on how to do it well. “I actually meant he’s supposed to tell us if any divisions are looking for specific dispositions.”

“You’d consider any of the divisions?” Wataru had to ask. He’d thought that Kawamura wasn’t even looking seriously at the Devas.

“Gotta keep all the options open, my dear core-less human friend,” Kawamura said, pulling off the serious tone better than he usually was capable of and Wataru rolled his eyes, then turned his focus back to the Core Coach, the one that was the face of young people choosing what to do with their cores – his words.

Looks like they’d managed to miss some more of the details that everyone knew about, the guy just finishing up his common definition of Chimeras and how being one limited people’s options just a bit.

So, next would be: “While it was once believed that being a Chimera led to mental imbalance and the user being classified as an Oni, there is increasing proof that this is not the case, that there is no correlation between Oni and Chimera. While there are some dispositions that affect the mind in a manner that increases sociopathic or psychotic tendencies in the user, it has nothing to do with Chimera.”

Wataru mostly stifled the scoff at that and saw Kawamura cover his mouth to suppress the laugh.

Once he recovered his composure a bit, he whispered, “One day I’ll figure out why you have such a problem with the opinions on Chimeras. You aren’t even related to any.”

“You don’t need to be close to someone to see when something is wrong.”

Wataru actually had issues with a lot of opinions concerning cores and users, whether they be Deva or Oni or Chimera or just a civilian. But he kept most of them to himself because it was like him not being a user made it so his opinion on things mattered less. After all, it didn’t affect him. He could choose to ignore them all and it wouldn’t be that big of a difference to his life.

He was only human, not a user.

“That does lead me into my next topic: the Oni. ‘Oni’ is the designation given to all criminal users, those who use their abilities to cause destruction, harm others, or attempt to disrupt the natural order of the world.”

“As if all cores don’t disrupt natural order,” Wataru muttered, having talked once apparently meaning his brain-to-mouth filter was disrupted. Kawamura reached over and flicked his arm for the slip.

“The primary organizations to counter Oni activity are the Devas and the User Enforcement Agency, both of which operate worldwide and are independent of other government control, answering only to the Core Council. The Devas are considered an elite force, with only the most skilled users in its ranks and they are the first called to respond to any situation concerning Oni. The secondary force is the User Enforcement Agency and they have more of a local emphasis than the Devas. There are still high requirements of any agents but they have fewer requirements for initial recruitment, and many even act as regular consultants to the Devas, the two forces working together closely. If you are looking toward enforcement and helping stand against the Oni, these are your options. Furthermore, the Devas are expanding their numbers for all divisions worldwide and have been holding additional assessments and opening additional training programs to fill the vacant positions recently created.”

So, Wataru wondered, did that mean there were more Oni to worry about? There was never an open accounting of how many Oni there were in the world, a way to keep people from panicking, he guessed. But Devas only existed to combat Oni, unlike the U.E.A., who also dealt with public relations and collaborated with local human law enforcement.

It made sense that there would be a lot of Oni, though. After all, with the estimate of just over half the population being users it made sense that plenty of those would be taking an illegal route with their abilities. Wataru knew enough about people not to think otherwise.

“Well, that doesn’t help,” Kawamura muttered and Wataru smiled. His friend slouched down into his seat and Wataru knew that he was done paying attention. Good, that meant Wataru didn’t have to either; again, he was just here for moral support.

“You know the Devas have plenty of Qilin on hand. It’s a common disposition, has a good reputation, and isn’t as restrictive for what they can seal like some of the other dispositions with that capability,” Wataru put forward the argument he’d used for the past year as to why Kawamura shouldn’t consider applying to the Devas. Of course, he never pointed out that Devas had a higher mortality rate; not only did he just not like thinking about that, but his friend would probably tease him for doing research.

But this wasn’t about Wataru doing research or not; the likelihood of his sister being contacted by the Devas was high and he looked out for her. They looked out for each other, their parents both so busy with their work that it kept them away from home a lot.

“You’re just biased against Devas. They could do a complete revamping of their policies and you’d still have a problem with them.”

“Considering most of my problem with them is that they _haven’t_ really changed in 50 years, I doubt that.”

“Hey, if it works, don’t fix it.”

“Just not sure that what they’re doing works so well that it doesn’t need to change at all. The world’s different than it was when they were first established.”

Kawamura turned and started staring at Wataru, who looked back in curiosity of what he’d said to get such a serious observation. “Okay, you need to stop doing whatever it is that you’re doing that’s making you get all introspective. You’re becoming a real bummer to be around.”

Wataru rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, giving his friend the win on that one since he couldn’t think of a retort; Kawamura usually wasn’t so good at setting up a tease like that.

But he could admit he was being a jerk about the whole thing, not supporting the weight of the decision that Kawamura and all the other users in his grade were facing very well. Just because it wasn’t something he had to do didn’t mean that he should diminish what his friend was going through, his own personal feelings aside.

He just hated the duality of everything to do with cores. You were a user or you weren’t. You were an Oni or you weren’t. You were a Chimera or you weren’t. It just created something else for people to use to separate everyone, another box to check on paperwork, another label people used to generalize who you were instead of actually getting to know you. And Wataru was a realist: he saw what labels meant to people.

He was sullen – instead of irritated – for the rest of the guy’s speech. And Kawamura had left him alone, actually seeming to pay attention as they were given a bit more details on other professions besides the two user agencies everyone knew about. Who knows, maybe he wouldn’t go for either the Devas or the U.E.A. Wataru would just have to wait and see.

Half an hour later and they were shouldering their bags and making their way out of the assembly hall the school had used to accommodate the reasonably large group being spoken to and headed towards the school gate.

“So, you wanna go hit up the mall for a while? Try and find something to kill the time with until Karin is done with her club meeting?” Kawamura asked once they were clear of much of the crowd.

Wataru held in a grin at Kawamura’s offer: neither one of them was a fan of the mall but his friend knew he was even less of a fan of spending a lot of time at home on his own. He was a little surprised Kawamura had remembered him mentioning Karin’s obligation which would put him on his own for the next few hours at least depending on if Karin decided to socialize afterwards or not.

“Actually, I can’t,” Wataru answered as he shifted the strap on his bag, suddenly needing to fidget and not really knowing why. “Kazuki changed our day studying to today. Apparently, he’s got something going on tomorrow when we normally meet up.”

He could practically feel Kawamura’s stare boring into the back of his head.

“Oh, right, the tutoring thing. How much longer are you going to be doing that with him?” Kawamura asked, his tone easy-going even as Wataru knew his friend wasn’t Yuichi Kazuki’s biggest fan: too many girls in the school fawned over him and it got on Kawamura’s nerves even as he acknowledged that the guy seemed like he was genuinely not a bad person.

“I’m not sure. I’m not failing anymore and he’s given me some good advice on how to study a bit better, but Mom was the one who asked him and she hasn’t said anything about finishing it up. He hasn’t either.”

“Mr. Model Student there, helping out a lowly underclassman like you even after you’ve improved past needing him.”

“That or he figures I’ll just start failing again once he’s not there watching over my work and that’ll look bad for his reputation,” Wataru groused back. “He calls me an idiot often enough, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

That was the thing: Kazuki was pretty much always blunt, even sarcastic with Wataru and that wasn’t how he was with anyone at school. It was weird and Wataru still didn’t know what he’d done to get the guy to dislike him so much. Sure, Wataru wasn’t really a social person, actively avoided hanging out with most of the other students in his classes, but he didn’t think he was cruel about it. He left people alone and he was generally too uninteresting for anyone to bother with if they didn’t have to.

And Kawamura didn’t seem to completely believe him when he told his friend about some of the shots Kazuki had taken at him while they studied together.

“Maybe I should come along to keep him in check. He might not act like that if someone else is around, no matter how much fun it is to pick on you.”

“You’re hilarious and make a tempting offer, but I’ll pass. The point is for him to think I don’t need the help anymore, not start questioning whether or not my friends are a bad influence on my ability to pass a class.”

“Harsh.”

“But true. Remember, there’s a reason we don’t do schoolwork together, ever.”

“Because I can’t focus and you can’t say no to me suggesting more interesting activities.”

Wataru shot a quick glare over his shoulder and muttered, “Something like that,” just before they reached the gate and actually faced each other.

“Anyway, thanks for coming to that lecture with me, Wataru. I really do appreciate you being there.”

Wataru gave his friend a nod of acknowledgement. “I’ll figure something out for you to pay me back. And I guess it wasn’t completely intolerable.”

Kawamura grinned before placing his hand over his heart and donning a doe-eyed expression. “Hearing you say that means the world to me. All I want is for you to care.”

Wataru couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s dramatic antics. Kawamura was so much more outgoing than he was that it was a wonder they got along as well as they did. He guessed they ended up balancing each other out: Wataru reigning Kawamura in a bit while Kawamura gave Wataru someone he could trust enough to be himself around, even when that “himself” was being anti-social and sort of intolerant towards people’s little quirks.

“Yeah, well, if you don’t want to be waiting for an hour to catch the next bus, you better get going. It doesn’t matter how happy you are at my sentimentality, you’d still blame me for missing your ride.” And a quick glance over Kawamura’s shoulder gave Wataru another reason to urge his friend away: Kazuki was approaching them.

“Yeah, fine, I’m done with you, too.” But Kawamura spoke in a pleasant enough tone and gave Wataru a quick wave as he started walking off. “See you tomorrow. Unless you decide you need some time out of the house, then go ahead and text me.”

“See you tomorrow, Kawamura. I’m not that hopeless or desperate.”

“Right, you’ve got Yuichi Kazuki to keep you company. I can understand that being preferred.”

Wataru was gonna kill his best friend, there was no doubt about that. At least it seemed like Kazuki was still too far away to have heard Kawamura, but that was beside the point. There were plenty of other students around to hear that and the rumor mill at the school was ridiculous. Really, intelligence agencies worked slower than the spreading of rumors at this school.

So, it was to Wataru giving the back of Kawamura’s head an intense glare that Kazuki walked up to him. Wataru noticed the other teen looking between him and his friend a few times before Wataru actually turned his attention on Kazuki.

“Friend of yours?” Kazuki asked in lieu of greeting him.

Wataru shook off the last bit of his irritation at Kawamura to try and get a head-start on Kazuki working on his nerves, like the guy seemed to genuinely enjoy doing. “Yeah, he’s a friend,” Wataru answered shortly.

“Are you sure? Because it almost looks like you would rather he got hit by the bus instead of boarding it.”

Wataru really hoped that was just an educated guess on Kazuki’s part; most of the students who rode the bus to school went the direction Kawamura had headed. He’d hate to discover now – after over a month of working with the upperclassman – that his disposition had to do with reading minds or something.

“I’m sure. It’s just a typical day where he actually got in some good shots so I’d prefer to see karma at work.” Not that he wanted to get into details on his friendships with Kazuki. The guy wasn’t his friend so it really wasn’t any of his business; Wataru just tended to be a blunt and honest person. And Kazuki…sort of wasn’t. Sure, he was likely an honest person, his reputation being one of endless compliments, but he wasn’t as straightforward as Wataru preferred people to be. They didn’t have to go around declaring every thought they had – that would be awkward – but when the person always made Wataru feel like they were holding something important back, he couldn’t trust them.

“Well, we might as well head out and get started so we can finish,” Wataru grumbled after a short silence, turning to walk in the direction of his house. He didn’t live too far away, about a twenty minute walk, and he was prepared for it to be made without any small talk to help pass the time: he wasn’t actually a fan of small talk and he didn’t know of anything he and his companion actually had in common.

They really were polar opposites. Yuichi Kazuki was a model student: intelligent, kind to pretty much everyone, popular among many different social circles, eye-catchingly attractive, and nothing but high expectations for his future, no matter what he decided to do with his life.

Wataru just wasn’t all of that. He got by with school, wasn’t rude to people but tended to toe the line of showing passable manners to most his classmates and he outright avoided a good percentage of the student body, he didn’t really stand out in a crowd – actually being a little below average height, he disappeared a bit easier – and he was trying not to think too hard about graduating the next year. There was nothing but this little arrangement between Kazuki and his mom to connect them.

So what was the point in even trying?

“I didn’t know you were a user,” Kazuki’s low voice cut through Wataru’s distracted thoughts. Wataru blinked a few times as he figured out what Kazuki had said, then frowned and shoved his hands deep into his uniform pants pockets so he didn’t cross his arms.

While in casual clothes, people could choose to wear something that identified them as a user – there was plenty of jewelry, patches, and clothes lines out there just for the sake of users making a statement of their status – but the school uniforms didn’t allow for anything that identified students like that. It was just another potential way for people to find differences instead of similarities.

“What makes you say that?” Wataru asked, trying for civility.

“You were leaving from the assembly hall and they had the representative speaking today for the students who are going to be putting in work applications at the end of the school year.” Kazuki’s tone was more familiar now, that hint of condescension that he always seemed to direct at Wataru.

Honestly, Wataru wouldn’t mind it so much if he had heard Kazuki talking like that to literally anyone else as well as him. But it was only him and that just felt wrong considering they didn’t know each other.

“Yeah, well, I was there as a friend, not an interested attendee. I’m not a user.”

Wataru saw Kazuki nod after a few seconds out of the corner of his eye. Interesting response, he admitted, almost like he’d been disappointed.

He considered remaining quiet when he had the thought that maybe Kazuki had been looking for something to talk about. Not like it was a secret where Kazuki was headed; the school had been talking about his disposition and application to the Devas for the past few months.

“You’re looking to join the Devas, right?” Wataru asked, hoping that it wasn’t too presumptuous.

“Yes, I’ve already passed the preliminary evaluations so I should be fine to begin training within the next few months so I can be ready to be active once I graduate.” There hadn’t been much inflection in Kazuki’s voice, like he was just relaying things he’d said plenty of times before. “As a Paladin, I’ve already received most of the basic combat training Devas start off with so that helps me get a head start on other new trainees.”

“But doesn’t your status as a Paladin mean you didn’t even need to apply, that you’d be assigned to a division once you told the council you wanted to work with the Devas?” Wataru couldn’t help but ask. Paladins were in a unique position of having their own appointed leaders within a support organization – the Protection of the Paladins Organization – that they all ultimately reported to. Some other dispositions were taking a similar approach now, but the Paladins and their superior fighting capabilities had always been given that extra buffer between the users and anyone who wanted to utilize their abilities.

It helped that there had never been a Paladin recorded to have become an Oni, something very few dispositions could claim.

“That’s somewhat accurate. Our application process is a bit abbreviated, but we’re still evaluated by the Devas with the same scrutiny as everyone else. The Devas can turn down a Paladin’s application, it just doesn’t happen very often. The training we receive while growing up helps many Paladin decide pretty early on what they want to do with their abilities, if anything.”

Wataru guessed with the average Paladin’s core awakening occurring before the age of five, the user had that much more time to figure things out.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what about your family? Is anyone in your immediate family a user?” Kazuki asked, throwing Wataru first with the polite nature of how he’d asked and then with how he seemed genuinely interested.

“I’m the only one who isn’t. My parents and sister all have awakened cores.”

“That’s unusual,” Kazuki mused, now sounding thoughtful to the point of distraction.

Cores weren’t necessarily hereditary and really could show up in anyone, but having parents with awakened cores seemed to increase the chance of their children having a core as well. It was more like exposure to people with cores was what made other cores awaken.

Wataru’s more negative opinion of cores led to him thinking of them like some sort of virus working its way through the population.

“I guess,” he settled on saying instead: even he wasn’t too fond of that particular thought. “Doesn’t matter anyway. There’s always a place for a regular person, no matter how much attention cores get.”

“That’s true. I guess that explains why your mother was so intent on making sure you got back on track with your grades.”

Wataru sighed at the reminder of why they were even in each other’s company now. “Yeah, she worries. I would’ve been fine.”

“Really? Strange how I got the impression that you were genuinely not understanding the work.” Kazuki was smirking over to him now and Wataru felt his face warm slightly.

“Well, yeah, I was falling behind but I was dealing with some things and now I’m not. I’ve done it before.”

He hadn’t really meant to say that much and his face warmed up even more and he couldn’t help but quicken his pace to get a little ahead of Kazuki, though it didn’t help with the others teen’s longer strides meaning he already had no trouble keeping pace with Wataru.

“I suppose I believe you. Your mom just seemed so frantic that it’s difficult to imagine she doesn’t have grounds for her concerns.”

All of them had been a bit stressed and Wataru would admit that it was taking him longer than normal to bounce back. That wasn’t Kazuki’s business, though, so he just decided to take advantage of the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.

“How did she get in touch with you, anyway? It’s not like we know your family or anything and I’ve never had a reason to mention you to her.”

“Nice to know my reputation doesn’t extend so far as to make it to dinner table conversation.” Wataru rolled his eyes at that. “I believe she got my name from your sister.”

“Dammit Karin,” Wataru muttered. Figured that his sister would be the one behind this, though he couldn’t understand why she’d bothered. It wasn’t like she was around when Kazuki and Wataru were working together: the two usually studied at a café near the school, today only using their home _because_ there was no one there. “I don’t get why she did that and I’m sorry she did.”

Kazuki stopped, Wataru continuing for a few steps before he did as well and turned to face Kazuki with a bit of confusion.

“Why are you sorry?” he asked after a short pause, his voice serious in a way Wataru wasn’t used to hearing. Kazuki was really showing him all sorts of different sides today and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with that.

“It feels like I should be. You don’t need to be here, but you made a commitment and even I know that you don’t back out of promises.”

Kazuki looked at him, observing him with an intensity that he usually gave Wataru’s school work.

Wataru’s nerves got the better of him before Kazuki was done looking. “It just seems like there are plenty of other places you could be rather than telling me how to pass classic Japanese. It’s not like we’re friends, so you don’t need to feel any sort of obligation to seeing this through to the end of the year or something.”

“Wataru, if I minded doing this, I wouldn’t be doing it. I try to not commit to things I have no interest in.” Hearing his name from Kazuki was always a strange experience, his chest tightening at something reserved for people much closer than they were, but not so much minding because Kazuki really seemed to like saying it regardless of propriety. Sure, the first time had been him teasing Wataru, but then he just didn’t stop. “I don’t mind working with you and I still have help I can offer you, so what would be the point in stopping?”

“I guess,” Wataru acquiesced easily enough. Kazuki was right, after all. He was helping and it wasn’t like he was completely intolerable; if anything, Wataru was getting used to being on the receiving end of the manner of blunt commentary he was usually the one giving. As long as Kazuki didn’t mind, he shouldn’t either. “Fine, but don’t hesitate to let me know if that changes. My mom wouldn’t hold it against you; she’s too pleased that my grades are already back up.”

“Fair enough.” Kazuki started walking again and Wataru fell into step beside him again. They stayed quiet for a while, the silence comfortable.

This could work. They could get along, maybe even get to a point where they could be considered friends.

Wataru realized he didn’t mind the prospect in the least.


	2. Need to Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wataru gets to balance two friends and a secret...

There was no such thing as a better warrior than a Paladin.

That was just a fact and everyone knew it, had known it for decades. While it was possible for someone to be a naturally skilled fighter and train to be on a similar level and present a contest to a Paladin, it wasn’t easy. With how the Paladin’s core increased strength, endurance, and reflexes, they were already formidable, but then there was the enhanced instincts that allowed them to read attacks with almost perfect accuracy.

It was…just phenomenal to watch, Wataru decided.

He’d never seen a Paladin fight, either in training or, of course, not in an actual fight. They tended not to fight unless absolutely necessary and didn’t require regular training to maintain skills, their core allowing muscle memory to be ingrained quicker and not fade.

So, watching Kazuki going through the motions of a kata he was teaching to a group of underclassmen interested in going into user enforcement was an experience to say the least.

Paladins represented discipline and Wataru was inclined to agree. After all, he wasn’t going to discredit the training they all went through as pre-teens which ensured they had complete control over their abilities. There had never been such a thing as a Paladin losing control. And while there were safeguards in place by the P.P.O., they’d never been necessary and no one expected them to ever be needed; even Wataru doubted he’d see that day. Watching Kazuki tapping into a part of his core by displaying what he was capable of helped solidify that opinion.

Kazuki had invited Wataru to join the group, to learn the kata right along with them, saying that it had nothing to do with being a user, but Wataru had still refused. For one, coordination wasn’t his thing. He’d never done any sports in school, avoiding all clubs simply for a lack of anything catching his attention strongly enough to bypass his disinterest in being around other people any more than he had to. But he’d been curious enough to see what Kazuki was like when he was utilizing something that had been a part of him since he was a kid.

Kazuki looked good as a Paladin. The way his body moved made it look more like a dance than techniques to be used in a fight. He was so relaxed and confident in his motions that Wataru couldn’t look away once he started moving.

Wataru wasn’t used to feeling so enraptured, let alone toward another person. He didn’t expect the feeling to stick around long; after all, Kazuki still did everything he could to get on Wataru’s nerves when they were working together so irritation would help this fascination pass.

They were finishing up, Kazuki standing off to the side now as the teacher overseeing the training gave some last-minute tips to the students, because while Kazuki had been leading for the katas, he was only there as a demonstration of a Paladin and wasn’t actually deeply involved.

Wataru glanced over to where Kawamura was standing close to the middle of the group. He’d been a bit surprised when he’d seen his friend walk in – Kawamura hadn’t noticed Wataru yet and he was looking forward to that reaction – but then decided it made sense if Kawamura was going to go through with applying to the U.E.A., which was looking likely. He’d done well throughout, which wasn’t too surprising; Kawamura had participated in basketball for part of the previous year so he had at least some athleticism.

Kawamura started talking to some of the other students around him, showing his social side and Wataru found himself smiling a little at his friend getting the opportunity to hang out with people who were more social, like Kawamura.

Kazuki, on the other hand, had looked Wataru’s way pretty much right away and excused himself from anyone who approached him quickly so he could make his way to where Wataru sat in the bleachers. Wataru grabbed his bag to busy his hands as Kazuki stepped up to him.

“I didn’t think you were going to come,” Kazuki said once he was two seat rows below where Wataru sat, putting them just about on the same eye-level, which didn’t happen often. Even when Kazuki was tutoring him, he tended to stand behind him and look over Wataru’s shoulder. “You certainly didn’t show much interest when I brought it up.”

“Well, I wasn’t interested in doing it, but I am curious about the training process for anyone going into enforcement. After all, not only is Kawamura likely to apply, but Karin has expressed interest as well.”

Kazuki had finally met Karin last week and had been the perfect gentleman, which Karin had teased Wataru about for the rest of the night until Wataru closed himself off in his room to avoid her.

Kazuki had thought it was very amusing when Wataru had groused about it the next day.

“She has a lot of potential, no matter what she decides to do. Besides, isn’t her disposition Regen?” Wataru nodded. “Very few Regens go through combat training or are even given field assignments, but instead work from the Division Infirmaries. They also have to start with intensive medical training.”

“Yeah, she’s already looked into the details.” Karin was strong and her control was exemplary. She would likely be accepted no matter where she applied, the need for the healing abilities of Regens always in demand. But he still had a few years before he had to worry about her as she’d said resolutely that she was going to finish through the regular education system instead of the options for users, so he shook off the building tension and stood. “Anyway, it was really impressive. I’m glad I came,” he said and watched as Kazuki got a confident glint to his gaze, his green eyes becoming ever so increasingly expressive the more time the two spent together.

“Well that’s a relief. My entire basis of it being a successful lesson was how much you enjoyed it.” Wataru rolled his eyes even as he felt his cheeks warm at the tone Kazuki had used. “It would have been a complete success if you’d actually participated. It’s not like martial arts are reserved for users going into enforcement.”

Wataru shrugged the offer off. “I’m not much of a fighter, so martial arts would be a bit wasted on me.”

Kazuki raised a disbelieving eyebrow at Wataru at that. “It’s never a waste to learn how to defend yourself. Besides, it’s as much about mental discipline as the physical aspect and you certainly could use all the help you can get in that regard. And finally, you apparently need to reevaluate yourself if you believe you aren’t a fighter; it’s the basis of most of our interactions.”

“Yeah, I’ve told him exactly the same thing when he shuts me down every time I ask him to get involved in sports,” Kawamura’s voice coming from off to the side made Wataru startle a bit. He hadn’t even noticed his friend approach and he couldn’t tell if Kazuki had. Kawamura stepped up a bit closer to Wataru, standing on the level of steps between Kazuki and Wataru like he was getting ready to step between them. Wataru doubted that was on purpose: Kawamura may be a Qilin, but he didn’t make a habit of going around acting protective over people. “I’m Ishida Kawamura,” he introduced himself with a slight bow to Kazuki, just enough to be considered polite but not quite genuine.

Kazuki returned the bow, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kazuki Yuichi. You did well with the drills.” Kazuki’s voice was polite, like Wataru had always expected when he saw him from a distance, pleasantly talking with other students. Now, it just made him think about why he never seemed to have gotten the same treatment as everyone else. Maybe there had been a few minutes on that first day, but it certainly hadn’t lasted long.

“Thanks. I guess that’s something I’d be getting a lot of if I went for the U.E.A.?”

“It depends greatly on your disposition and what exactly you apply for. The U.E.A. has plenty of positions that don’t require the users to have any combat training.”

“I’m a Qilin,” Kawamura stated flatly, almost sounding like a challenge and Wataru gave him a confused look that his friend didn’t look his way to see. That Kawamura had just bluntly stated his disposition like that was a little weird as well; he tended to not see the point in revealing his disposition and would only say that he was a user.

Kazuki didn’t seem to notice anything odd, which was fine. “I see. Then you will likely have to go through at least basic training no matter what you apply for.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been told since my core awakened and I threw my first shield.”

“Well, it’s no secret that the solid shield of a Qilin is as valuable as a weapon in the hands of a Paladin. There’s a reason the Paladin’s Council is requesting oversight of the Qilin.”

“Qilin don’t have a perfect record. Plenty have become Oni and those shields aren’t that fortunate then.”

“Kawamura,” Wataru muttered, done with how his friend seemed to be picking a fight.

Hearing his name, Kawamura glanced over his shoulder to Wataru and seemed to be weighing his options at seeing the glare he was getting from solid black eyes.

He apparently decided whatever he was going on about wasn’t worth dealing with Wataru in a bad mood because his tone lightened. “Anyway, I’m glad I was able to do the session and look forward to learning more.” He turned back to Wataru, almost like he was now just dismissing Kazuki. “You ready to go?”

They had actually planned to hang out today after school. They were going to go over to Kawamura’s and get ready for a test they had in math the next day – Wataru helping Kawamura with one of the few subjects he excelled at – before spending a few hours playing the latest game Kawamura insisted Wataru had to check out.

“Yeah, we can head out,” Wataru responded even as his mind was struggling to figure out where he’d lost track of the interaction between Kawamura and Kazuki.

“Unless, you changed your mind and wanted to spend the day with Kazuki,” Kawamura added and Wataru felt his temper flare just a bit. He didn’t need attitude being pulled with him like this when there was no reason for it.

“I might if his company seems like it’ll be the more tolerable option," he said in an even voice and there was a flash of recognition in Kawamura’s expression that told Wataru he’d gotten the message. Over Kawamura’s shoulder, Wataru caught a slight upturn of Kazuki’s lips but it faded right away.

This was turning out to be a weird introduction between the two.

Wataru turned his attention back to Kazuki. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kazuki nodded. “Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow, Wataru.”

He turned and descended the bleachers, getting called by the teacher as soon as it was obvious he was done conversing.

Kawamura watched him walk away, then rounded on Wataru as the smaller teen stepped over toward the actual stairs instead of using the bleachers to walk down. “Wataru?” Kawamura asked, his tone incredulous.

“Yeah?” Wataru replied as Kawamura fell into step behind him.

“He calls you ‘Wataru?’”

“So do you.”

“Well, yeah, but I’ve known you for about ten years. He’s known you for, what, two months?”

“A little over that, yes.”

“You don’t let classmates call you by your first name.”

“Sharing a class with people doesn’t mean I know them.”

“Getting tutored by a guy doesn’t mean you know him either. Or does Kazuki get an exception because he’s _the_ Yuichi Kazuki?”

Wataru crossed his arms but made sure he didn’t look toward Kawamura. “Hardly. He called me by my first name to pick on me when he first started tutoring me and just never stopped.”

He heard Kawamura stop walking but kept on going. It wasn’t his fault his friend was making a big deal out of nothing.

“A few weeks ago you were all put out about him tutoring you. Now you two are buddies outside of schoolwork. You get why I think that’s weird, right?” Kawamura said as he jogged to catch up and walked right beside Wataru.

“Not really. We’re working together tomorrow, so it’s not like I’m just going to hang out with him. I don’t get what the big deal is or what you have a problem with. It’s almost like you’re getting defensive over me, which is completely unnecessary, moderately irritating, and not at all like you.” Kawamura got silent and the air between them was tense. Wataru looked over to his friend then, wanting to see if he could pick anything out in his expression. When he didn’t get anything else, he prompted, “Now would be a good time to let me know what’s going on. At least it’ll be more convenient if you say something before we get on the bus in case I decide you’re being ridiculous and go home instead.”

“Now that’s just harsh, leaving me to fend for myself in calculus,” Kawamura responded, his voice sort of subdued but at least it was something more the norm for them. “I thought I saw something when I was walking towards you guys.”

Wataru didn’t know much about Qilin abilities, regardless of how common the disposition was; Kawamura was the only Qilin he was close to and so he hadn’t really looked into it much. But from what he did know, it wasn’t a disposition that allowed the user to see things other people couldn’t, like how Clairvoyants could actually see the energy expelled from people’s cores, or how some Empaths figured out the emotions of others by seeing what they called auras.

“You see things? Is that something common with Qilin?”

“Sort of. It’s more of an awareness because of how we can interact with cores to seal them that we’re able to pick up on things. That’s a Qilin secret, so keep it quiet.”

The last part was said with enough of a shift in tone from Kawamura rattling off information to being mockingly serious that Wataru gave him another tolerant look.

“So, what did you supposedly pick up with your secret powers?”

“I could have sworn I saw Kazuki’s core acting like it was around someone he has an affinity with.”

_Impossible,_ was Wataru’s first thought, and for good reason.

He knew his shock had shown in his expression but he shook it off quickly enough, stepping in a bit closer to Kawamura to make sure none of the other students around them didn’t overhear. No one was acting like they’d heard anything yet, but he didn’t trust them to mind their own business, especially if they heard Yuichi Kazuki was the subject of discussion.

“I can’t have an affinity with Kazuki. Just like I can’t have an affinity with you, or my parents, or my sister. It doesn’t happen unless both people have awakened cores.”

Kawamura sighed and rubbed his hands down his face. “Yeah, I know that, Wataru.”

“Then why did you give him a hard time about something you know is impossible?”

“I don’t know. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I mean, you spent weeks complaining about how he was always acting cold toward you, then there’s always something going on that means you two are hanging out. It’s been weird, especially with it being _you_.”

Wataru deflated a bit at that, knowing what Kawamura meant by that: he didn’t let people get close. Even the last girl he’d dated had told him she didn’t feel like she knew him when they broke up and they’d been dating for a few months. But being around Kazuki always meant going through just about every emotion in existence.

The bus came to a stop and the two friends turned to board it, letting the silence get uncomfortable as they found a seat and settled in for the twenty-minute drive.

But Wataru didn’t want things to be weird between them. Kawamura was his best friend and it’d be wrong to let something come between them after so many years of growing up together. After all, Qilin were called that because they were protectors by nature. Instincts were amplified by cores and just because it hadn’t been a thing for Kawamura to feel the need to protect someone close to him, it didn’t mean it was impossible.

“It’s probably because you aren’t sure about him that you’re getting defensive,” he mused, sharing his thoughts to break the silence. “I mean, I’m not even sure what’s going on between me and Kazuki. We came to some sort of agreement, but I don’t really know what it means. I don’t know if we’re friends or just an upperclassman helping out a junior student or what, just that we’re getting along. I’ll let you know what’s going on when I figure it out, but even if he wasn’t a Paladin, I wouldn’t think he was someone I need to be guarded against.”

Kawamura looked over to him, his brown eyes thoughtful, but looking a bit more relaxed than he had been since he walked up to Wataru and Kazuki. Wataru looked back and gave his friend a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“I think you should try and figure out what you saw, why you saw something you shouldn’t. You know me: I like answers, I like not being in the dark about things.” Kawamura gave him a grim at him bringing up an aspect of himself his friend usually teased him about. He always gave the excuse that it was like how he was good with numbers: things were easier to handle when they made sense, when the equation was balanced.

“Do you mind if I ask my instructor about it? I won’t tell him everything, just what I saw.”

Wataru nodded. “Yeah, who better to ask than a Qilin who’s been around for fifty years.”

Wataru was going to continue when he was jostled in his seat by a man passing him as he walked further toward the back of the bus. Wataru glanced up at the guy, reaching across himself to rub his shoulder a bit.

“Hey, sorry kid. Thought I had a bit more room,” the man said smoothly, scratching the back of his head in his embarrassment before giving Wataru a polite bow and then continuing on his way.

Wataru blinked a few times as he continued to run out the last bit of the sting out of his bicep. The guy must have had something in his pocket for his arm to actually have any soreness from that minor of a collision. It wasn’t like he barreled into Wataru, just connected with him as he passed.

He looked back over to Kawamura, who was looking over the back of the seat toward the guy. He looked over to Wataru and that suspicious glint was back, but he seemed to recall that they’d just been talking about this and shook it off as he rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes.

“What the hell is up with me? People run into each other all the time, especially on the bus,” he muttered.

Wataru glanced over his shoulder, looking for the man again and found him just as the guy was turning to look down, like he was checking his phone but Wataru couldn’t see because of the seats.

“It’s no big deal. I half expect you to not even remember you had any issues by tomorrow. You don’t tend to hold grudges for too long.”

“Fair point.” Kawamura wasn’t _that_ dismissive, but it’d be best to try and get him in a better mood before they started studying or they’d never get anything done and Kawamura wouldn’t figure anything out if he was frustrated.

But what he’d claimed to have seen…

What if it wasn’t as impossible as Wataru had wanted it to be?

Cores could awaken at any age, after all. The chance of it happening decreased greatly after the late teens, dropping even more by the age of twenty-five, but there were plenty of cases of traumatic events resulting in an awakened core. The oldest on record was sixty-seven, but the core tended to put more strain on the body than anything, especially in the first few months after awakening when the body was adjusting to it, and was as likely to kill the person as it was to save them.

But Wataru was sixteen, and that was still within the common age range for a core to awaken. But, he’d been checked at the beginning of the year as part of his yearly physical for active cores and it had been negative, as it had been all his life. Not even anything residual from living with three other users.

And as long as there wasn’t an active core in him, nothing else showed up, either. Because awakened cores were the only thing that affected the body’s operation.

Besides, Kawamura had said that it looked like Kazuki’s core was reaching, not connecting with anything. If he had a core, there would have been some reaction and Karin had told him what it felt like for an affinity to form between cores. It wasn’t something that went unnoticed.

He hadn’t felt anything. He didn’t feel any different. He was still just regular human Wataru, just as he’d been all his life. There was nothing to worry about.

Even if he was different, maybe he didn’t have to say anything. And if it was something to worry about, if there was something for Kazuki’s core to create an affinity for, then he’d just have to call it quits being around him.

Besides, regardless of how they were seeming to get along now, there’s just no way Kazuki could feel anything toward him that would make an affinity form between them. That was even less possible than Wataru finding out he had an awakened core he had no idea existed.

* * *

Wataru could act like he wasn’t worried with the best of them. Sure, he tended to feel emotions pretty strongly, but he’d just always been the type to keep things to himself. He didn’t even have any sort of negative experience as a reason to be that way. He wasn’t betrayed by a close friend so that he didn’t think people could be trusted or anything, it was just who he was. If something got him to make an honest show of his emotions, it tended to be overwhelming for everyone involved and there were a few fellow students who didn’t come within a certain distance of him because they’d been unfortunate enough to discover his temper.

His baby sister, Karin, was the opposite of him in that regard. While their closely matched features – both with jet black hair, dark eyes even though Karin’s were still brown while Wataru’s eyes held no distinction between pupil and iris, easy lines to their facial structure, and only a few inches separating them in height they could be twins for the similarities – made them easily identifiable as siblings, their personalities didn’t quite match as closely. Because while Wataru did consider himself to be somewhat caring and considerate of others, he was just as likely to dismiss someone if his mood wasn’t tolerant enough. Karin didn’t struggle to care about others, was always willing to offer a helping hand.

Regen was the perfect disposition for her and she’d be great in whatever she used it for.

But that was for when she made it to that point. Right now, she was still just his little sister and he could count on her for anything, even telling him something he didn’t want to hear. He loved his parents dearly, but he needed someone he actually spent a lot of time around and he didn’t want to give Kawamura a reason to be even more on edge.

Karin was also the only other person besides his parents who knew…

So, he’d sent a text to Kazuki to put off studying until the next day, cut his last class, and was at Karin’s school to meet her when she got finished for the day.

“Wataru?” she called in her confusion at seeing him there before she got concerned. “What’s wrong?”

He just nodded her over, waiting until she was near to turn and lead the way past the school gate and down the street. They were near a park that shouldn’t be too busy at this time of day and he figured that was the best option to make sure they had a bit of privacy as he couldn’t just go home to take care of this.

“Wataru, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Karin asked after a short silence.

“I’m fine, but I need you to check something out for me,” Wataru answered, not wanting her to be worried.

“Like what?”

He let out a deep sigh, his nerves coming out in a catch to his breath near the end.

“Making sure I’m still the same.”

Karin paused, then walked quickly to catch back up to him. “What happened? Why would you think something’s changed?”

“Kawamura said he saw something yesterday, something between Kazuki and I. But he isn’t sure if he saw anything at all and he’s not trained or experienced enough to figure out what he’d need to do to check. Besides, he’s biased against Kazuki I think.”

“Really?” Karin asked, Wataru figured to get him to focus on something less stressful.

“A lot of the girls have crushes on Kazuki and that leaves Kawamura with not too many options to try and find a girlfriend. That and I think he’s feeling left out or something with me spending more time around Kazuki.”

Karin tapped her fingertip against her chin. “But you guys just study. You won’t ask him out no matter how many times I tell you it’s a good idea.”

Dammit, so much for not getting stressed. Karin had started that up after meeting Kazuki for the first time, telling Wataru that he needed to take advantage of the circumstances and at least see if Kazuki was interested. Wataru had shut her down every time so far; he didn’t need her confusing him with that sort of talk, not when he couldn’t say for sure what he thought or felt about what the two of them even were.

“Anyway,” he started off with a touch of tension to his tone, but it faded quickly, “I can’t trust anyone else to check. Karin, you’re the only one who knows what to look for and what to ignore.”

She took on an indignant expression then, something he hadn’t expected. She quickened her steps to get a little bit of a lead on him before turning to him sternly. “Not if you would just tell someone else. Plenty of people know what to look for. You’re just limiting your options to me because you’re afraid of what might happen if anyone else knows about you.”

“It’s my choice, and one I’m not going to change anytime soon. There’s no way I’m painting a target on my back, not when Oni activity is on the rise. I know what they’d do.”

At least that made Karin deflate a little. He knew she just didn’t like that he’d kept his secret. To Karin, he was putting himself at risk by not letting anyone know when he just felt that not telling anyone was keeping him safe.

But him staying safe only worked if he stayed human.

They turned around a corner a few blocks from Karin’s school and came within view of the park, Wataru looking around and pleased to see only a few kids on the swings across the park from them with plenty of distance and equipment between them. They would have enough privacy.

He led the way over to a bench, one that was positioned with one of the large jungle gyms between the two of them and the swings with the kids playing. And they were far enough away from the sidewalk that there was little chance of anyone passing on the street to see anything of interest. They’d done this before and it didn’t take long.

They sat down, Wataru turning and tucking his right foot behind his left knee so he could comfortably sit facing his sister at his side. She remained facing forward, but slid in so that there wasn’t much distance between them, then she reached out and took his left hand and pulled it over into her lap.

They both hated this part.

What wasn’t to hate about cutting a line down the length of his arm to give her something mildly significant to heal so she could feel how his circulatory system was operating, because cores made it feel different somehow. Wataru wasn’t a Regen so he didn’t know how it was different and he’d never felt like asking.

He reached into his bag and pulled out the knife he kept at home, just a small pocket knife he’d found one day and decided to keep. It usually stayed in his desk in his room, but when he’d figured out that this was a way people could check for cores without going through any official channels, he’d used it for the few times they’d done this.

He held out the knife to Karin and she sighed and shook her head in response: she didn’t want to do the cutting, hadn’t done it yet. He didn’t blame her: he wasn’t at all favorable of the act, no matter how much purpose it served.

Honestly, he wished he was more clumsy or active enough that he’d get injured more often on his own.

So, he slid the blade out and took a few deep breaths as he leaned forward a bit, Karin’s fingers gripped his wrist tightly, turning his arm over so the outside of his limb was facing up – it was a safer area to cut – and then holding it in place. He switched from deep calming breaths to shallow quick ones to get himself light-headed, then raised the knife enough to stab down and penetrate the skin, the blade sliding about an inch into his arm and he couldn’t help the yelp of pain. It didn’t matter that he knew how it felt, it still hurt. Nothing about this was appealing and this was always where he questioned why he let himself get so worked up about becoming a user. Knowing wasn’t worth the stabbing!

“Wataru!” Karin tried to get him to focus. After all, she couldn’t do anything if the knife was still in his arm. So, he pulled the knife out, angling towards the blade so the wound was just a little bit bigger once it was free and he then threw the knife to the ground, like it was its fault he’d had to use it.

Karin’s hand pressed over the wound, getting pressure on it right away and keeping blood from dripping freely around his arm and onto her. Wataru distracted himself from the pain of the pressure by looking through his bag for the stack of napkins he’d grabbed from the cafeteria. When he turned back, he could see the veins of Karin’s arms become more vivid, then appear to glow as she channeled her core’s power to her hand and into him through the contact of their skin. His arm warmed to the brink of feeling like it was burning, then went numb as Karin’s power interacted with the nerves around the area: she was _really_ good at that part, the temporary numbing of the nerves so people didn’t feel the injury anymore while she worked to heal it.

While he couldn’t feel the injury anymore, he could still feel the touch of her power coursing through him. He could feel the slight charge it caused to him as it passed through his veins quickly, reaching every part of his body and he shuddered at the feel. He wondered how people could _not_ feel this, where a Regen used their power like this to check for other injuries. It was invasive and uncomfortable and he hated it.

It wasn’t him.

The only relief was that it didn’t take long. Because the energy followed the circulatory system, it only took about a minute to pass through everything then return to the point of contact to be absorbed back into Karin and let her know what information it had absorbed from his system, any other damage or abnormalities to his system. Then it was just a matter of letting her mend the damage, which only took another few minutes – which only took that long because she was still learning – and then they were done.

Karin took in a few deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling out the mouth in a calming manner that Wataru couldn’t help but copy, feeling his shoulders relax and his mind clear just a bit. He held out the napkins to Karin and she let go of his wrist to take some and start to clean her hand, Wataru wiping the blood from his forearm.

“Nothing’s changed, Wataru. You still don’t have a core. It’s the same as it always has been.” She spoke in an even tone and Wataru knew she was angry.

He didn’t blame her, not with what he’d just asked her to do. He knew it was wrong and he was taking advantage of having a Regen for a sister.

She didn’t deserve this.

Checking to make sure that his arm was clean, he reached down and picked up the knife to clean it as well.

“Thank you, Karin. I promise I won’t ask you to do it again. I shouldn’t have asked you to do it this time, or any time. I just…” He let out a deep sigh as he closed the knife and clutched it tightly in his hand. “I’m not like you, or Mom, or Dad, or Kawamura, or Kazuki. I shouldn’t be a user. It’d be wasted on me. I need to stay like I am.”

Karin looked over to him and watched him carefully. “I’ll never understand your attitude toward cores. It’s not like you hate users or even people having cores. It’s just you having a core that you can’t stand and I don’t understand that. What would be so wrong with you becoming a user?”

“I like being me. Having a core changes who someone is. It becomes a part of their identity. What’s to say I won’t like who I became?”

“You never care what people think of you. You don’t care what other people are doing or what’s popular. You just do what you feel like doing and don’t let other people change your mind. Why is this different?”

“Because it’s important to everyone. And it shouldn’t be.”

Karin’s gaze lowered and she looked to the bench between them for a few seconds before she took in a deep breath to gather herself. When she looked up, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. His hands clenched even tighter as his breathing hitched and he tucked his chin under her forearm to lower his head enough to hide his face behind his bangs.

His eyes burned with the threat of tears, but he managed to control himself enough to keep any from falling, continuing to breathe deeply as his sister’s warmth soothed him with her familiarity.

He wasn’t a tactile person. He didn’t reach out to people often and he didn’t like other people touching him. He kept his distance from everyone but a few people. And those he did allow, like Karin, he only did because it was like he was hit with everything at once and it could be overwhelming to feel that much. But in the end, he could think clearer afterwards so it was worth the rush.

It was another way he and his sister were opposites. She had to restrain herself around Wataru, because even though he was comfortable with her making contact with him, it wasn’t automatically welcome and she tried to respect that.

It showed now how long it had been since he’d let her get close, her arms staying wrapped around him for quite some time. It was nearly to the point where he was getting uncomfortable, having recovered his own composure already, when she finally relaxed her grip and slowly pulled away. He knew she wanted to hold on longer, but was thinking of him first. She straightened up and wiped her hand over her eyes to clear her face of tears. He picked out one of the remaining clean napkins and handed it over to her silently.

She took it and wiped her face off hastily, as if she was wiping away her hurt with that napkin. Once she was composed, she looked at him and he nearly flinched at the intensity of her gaze.

“I’m holding you to that promise,” she declared. “If you ever ask me to do that again, I’m going to walk away and let you bleed out. Or, I’ll call an ambulance and tell them why you did it. I’m sure they’ll be happy to give you a full evaluation when they hear that.”

Wataru nodded hastily, wanting to convey that he wouldn’t dream of breaking a promise to her and inciting her wrath: he wasn’t stupid, no matter how many times Kazuki said he must be. Maybe a bit absent-minded, but definitely not stupid.

“As long as we understand each other on this. Now, you owe me big time for this and I expect full payment once I decide what form it’ll take.”

Great, that could mean anything from helping her cook for the next month and being given all the jobs she didn’t like to losing all his allowance money to a shopping spree. He’d just have to wait and see what she came up with. And, since he knew he’d be doubting the fact in the moment of paying up, he acknowledged that she deserved anything she asked for because she was the best sister he could ask for.

She softened then, her moods always bound to change from moment to moment: something the two of them had in common.

“Are you afraid of Kazuki wanting to be close to you?” she asked and he knew he flushed at the question.

“Why do you say that?” he responded, knowing he was being defensive but unable to sound any different. He shouldn’t have said anything about Kazuki, not to Karin. She knew him too well, understood him in a way only a sibling could. She would figure things out that Kawamura never could.

“Because you care about him. And what’s more dangerous than caring?”

He really hated when she threw that at him, something he’d said a few years ago and still sort of believed. The way she said it made it seem like he was heartless rather than cautious, which was her point. She wasn’t extremely manipulative like a few of his classmates tended to be, but she had her moments.

But he hated even more that she’d laid out his feelings like that. He was confused about his feelings for Kazuki, wasn’t sure what he wanted from the connection they’d built over the past few months. That wasn’t like him, but he just couldn’t figure things out. Kazuki seemed to enjoy being around him and they had built a rapport, but that could mean anything from Kazuki wanting to be friends with him to the older teen just being polite, even if he tended not to be the same nice, model student he was with everyone else towards Wataru.

“Karin…” he started, but couldn’t get anything else past the lump in his throat.

His sister released a sigh as she leaned back against the bench and looked up towards the sky. “I can tell you one thing I picked up from the exam: you’re stressed out. Stressed enough that it’s affecting your body. There’s a tension to you that I’ve never picked up before. If you don’t work anything out, you’re going to start feeling the effects. Remember, stress is the real killer, no matter what the Oni are up to.” She finished with a slight grin and he couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh.

“Count on you to turn the Oni into a joke,” he retorted, knowing that the joke wasn’t her dismissing the issue, just acknowledging that there was only so far she could push him before he shut down.

“Most people turn them into a joke when they aren’t facing one down. People who go around hurting others just because they’ve got a little power is pathetic and the Oni are the only ones who seem to be missing that memo.”

“Maybe they just need to have you tell them the news. It might just be one of those things you just can’t really hear when it’s your friends telling you.”

“Or your sister, apparently.” She stood then, shouldering her bag and turned to look back at Wataru as he pocketed the knife and gathered the bloody napkins to throw in the nearest trash. “You get to escort me home now and listen to whatever I want to talk about. You are required to participate in the conversation. And, no, this is not you paying me back.”

Damn…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. See ya soon.


	3. Escort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is amiss...

A few days later and Wataru couldn’t say he actually felt any better.

He couldn’t even say why he was feeling like that, just that it was like he was waiting for something to happen, something bad. It was ridiculous, he knew, but that didn’t mean he could shake the feeling.

It didn’t help that Kawamura and Karin had both noticed something was off and had asked him about it, him dismissing them easily enough when they both knew not to push him for any answers or he’d just shut down. But since they knew something was off, they didn’t act naturally either and that just made things that little bit worse.

He tried to not get too focused on it, though. He tried to ignore his nerves and get lost in his daily routine.

That might have been part of the problem. Maybe if Wataru was pretty much anyone else but him, that might have been effective. But he had a small social circle and he wasn’t involved with any school clubs. And distracting himself wasn’t worth trying to get more involved with his classmates.

He was supposed to be studying with Kazuki today, though, so that might help him out some. Sure, dealing with Kazuki was usually a stressor to some degree, but that would be welcome at this point. And Kazuki didn’t know him well enough to realize anything was off, so there was that bit of a relief.

Wataru was actually waiting for Kazuki at the gate to the school, where they’d normally meet up before heading to where they’d be working for the day: either Wataru’s home or a nearby coffee shop. Wataru was leaning against the gate, ignoring the groups of students passing by as they left for the day, chattering and laughing and unbothered by the world.

Wataru was usually like that and was getting more and more irritated with himself that it wasn’t like that lately. What could he do different to get himself back on track?

“Figure out what the hell’s wrong instead of just letting it bother me,” he muttered to himself in response to the thought. This had been the cycle of his thoughts for the past three days and he was ready to figure things out to get out of this rut.

“You’re not so great of a conversationalist that you can get away with talking to yourself,” Kazuki’s voice close behind Wataru caused him to tense in surprise and he was barely able to keep a yelp from being released as well. He let out a careful breath to relax himself a bit before he turned and faced the other teen, who was smirking down at him in his amusement.

“Kazuki,” Wataru ground out in his irritation. Never mind, he didn’t want to spend next hour or so with this guy. He was too on edge as it was and Kazuki would just make it worse. “Never mind studying today. I’m too busy,” he declared as he stood up straight and turned to walk away.

Kazuki let out a chuckle as he stepped up to Wataru’s side. Wataru nearly jumped again as Kazuki’s hand was suddenly warming his shoulder, not used to anyone, let alone Yuichi Kazuki, touching him so casually.

“Don’t take it out on your grades just because you weren’t paying attention.”

It wasn’t right that Wataru’s chest clenched just a bit at the reminder of the reason they had any connection. He needed to figure his shit out already.

When he remained quiet, Kazuki took another step forward so he was standing more in front of Wataru, leaning down a bit so he could see the shorter teen’s face clearer through the cover of his dark hair. “Wataru? Are you okay?” he asked after a few seconds of observation.

Wataru lifted his head to lock gaze with Kazuki for about a second before it was uncomfortable and so he looked back down to avoid green eyes. This was supposed to be easier than dealing with his sister or best friend. Why wasn’t it?

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why would you think I wasn’t?” he responded.

Great, even he didn’t believe himself with that tone. Kazuki didn’t even need decent social skills to see through that one.

“Do you want the short answer or the long one?”

Wataru looked back up to glare at Kazuki, whose expression had become serious, not showing any hint of the teasing that had been in his voice, mild as that had been. Instead, he looked concerned, the kindness that Wataru was used to seeing from a distance actually right there in front of him, directed to him. He really didn’t know how to take that. Kazuki wasn’t acting the way he was supposed to and Wataru really didn’t need that right now. The glare left Wataru’s face before he could work through any of that and he was left to just stare at Kazuki as his mind tried to catch up.

“Wataru?” Kazuki asked once he didn’t figure out what to say quickly enough.

Wataru shook his head, trying to literally shake off his emotions so he could deal with Kazuki. He took in a breath as he decided he wasn’t getting anywhere letting his nerves be in charge.

“We’ve got work to do, right?” he said, thinking his voice was a lot more convincing this time around. He stepped past Kazuki, intent on getting them to the coffee shop and working so he could be done with this part of his day and to where he could close himself off in his room where he didn’t have to worry about people.

He only got to passing by Kazuki when his bicep was grabbed and he was pulled in close to the other teen by the hold. He was about to lash out at Kazuki, but when he looked up at him, Kazuki was looking down at where he was holding Wataru with a surprised expression, his fingers brushing along the inside of Wataru’s arm just below where his sleeve ended.

“Do you mind?” he said as intended, but there was no bite. What was wrong?

“Wataru, why are you marked?” Kazuki asked instead of answering.

This was a thing with them, apparently, not actually answering each other. And Wataru continued it as he didn’t actually understand what Kazuki had asked him. “What do you mean ‘marked?’ What are you talking about?” Kazuki just continued staring at his arm, seemingly deep in thought. “Kazuki!” Wataru called out in irritation before remembering that they were in front of the school still and he looked around to see quite a few eyes on them, a few students nearby whispering to each other at the unusual sight of Yuichi Kazuki grabbing onto a junior student who was yelling at him. “Can we at least take this somewhere else? Somewhere not surrounded by the rumor mill, preferably.”

That seemed to get through to Kazuki as he looked around them as well and then got an intense look on his face as he led them away from the school, heading in the direction of Wataru’s home, even though they’d planned to work at the café.

And he was still latched onto Wataru’s arm, using the grip to ensure that Wataru was a mere step behind him.

Not that Wataru wasn’t trying to change that: he was pulling against the grip as well as he could while being led along, trying to dislodge the hold, but Kazuki was a stupid Paladin and anything he decided to put strength into was going to mean he wasn’t going anywhere he didn’t want to go. The grip wasn’t necessarily tight, just secure, and if Wataru did get a bruise out of this, it would be from his own yanking.

For some reason, he didn’t think that was very fair.

“Is Karin home?” Kazuki asked, his tone insistent but strangely quiet, like he was now making sure nothing was heard by anyone passing by. They were still getting plenty of looks from nearby students, but that wouldn’t last once they got some distance from the school and away from anyone who heard Wataru’s shout.

“No, she won’t be home for another few hours. Why?” Kazuki didn’t answer and just continued on. “Kazuki, what is your problem? You know, I don’t actually appreciate being dragged around, so would you please stop!” He finished with another yell, which seemed to at least get Kazuki’s attention.

The other teen stopped walking and turned back to look at Wataru, his expression difficult to read. He glanced down to where he was still gripping Wataru’s arm and seemed to be debating whether or not to let him go.

Wataru got more irritated by the hesitation. “Let me make the choice more obvious for you: let me go.” He punctuated this with a tug on his arm, which barely moved in the secure grasp. “Discussion with people is a thing. I bet I would actually agree to follow you if you would just tell me what was wrong.”

“Wataru, we need to get off the street and somewhere safe until Karin can remove the mark.”

“What the hell is a mark?”

“Have you heard of ‘Shades?’”

Wataru was tempted to just snap hack, but managed to suppress the urge enough to give it a genuine second of thought. “No. I’m guessing that’s a disposition.”

“Yes, one that is more commonly found in people who become Oni. They’re able to identify cores by causing bruising on users they touch and many can also track the marks. Only a Regen can remove the mark, which acts like an infection if left alone for too long.”

Wataru’s mind jumped to that guy bumping into him on the bus. Was that what had been bugging him over the past few days, some mark on him? But there hadn’t been any bruising on him from that contact and he’d only felt it for a few minutes after it happened. If it wasn’t Kazuki and he wasn’t so _sure_ that he knew what he was talking about, Wataru would have dismissed it already. “What if I’ve already had Karin heal me since I was marked?” he asked instead, flushing a bit under the careful scrutiny Kazuki gave him at that implication.

Thankfully, Kazuki let it slide, apparently able to prioritize. “It doesn’t matter if she’s healed an injury. She needs to be looking for and targeting the mark to remove it. And the mark can’t even be picked up by a Regen within the first day or so after being placed, so even they can miss it if they look too soon.”

“I doubt she’s ever done that before,” Wataru pointed out, more as a spoken thought than giving another argument.

“She’ll be fine. It’s not that difficult once she knows what she’s looking for. And she’s skilled, so it’s definitely within her capabilities.”

Wataru wondered if Kazuki had talked to Karin about her abilities or if he was just going off of how Wataru tended to gush about his little sister when he got the chance.

“Now, we need to get out of public. You were marked for a reason and they’re likely following you already. Out here, you’re vulnerable and they may realize that I’ve just called them out.”

Wataru couldn’t help commenting, “Well, if you didn’t make such a spectacle about it, maybe it wouldn’t have been so easy to figure out that you called it.”

Kazuki at least looked away at that, running his other hand through his hair as he moved to start walking again. “Yeah, well, I didn’t expect to feel you marked. Last I recalled, you didn’t have anything to mark.”

Wataru nearly tripped over his feet at that: it only worked on cores? He could have sworn Kazuki meant the Shades used their cores to mark other people, not that they were marking other people’s cores. And he couldn’t remember exactly what Kazuki had said. Then, he didn’t want to ask for clarification and potentially reveal something he didn’t want to just because it seemed like he was found out.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he figured that was neutral enough and his sudden nerves made him defensive enough that his voice was steady.

Kazuki didn’t even spare him another glance, but seemed resolute to look everywhere _but_ at Wataru. “How many times have you made sure I know you don’t have a core? Oni use Shades to paint their targets, not just point out where the cores are centered. The bruising shows up where the core is centered, so on either side of the head or over the heart.”

“Fine, but I’m not bruised. You can see for yourself that there’s nothing on my head and I can tell you there’s nothing over my heart. I’m not marked.”

“Then why do I feel it on you?” Kazuki seemed to be demanding an answer more than he ever had as he’d once again spun to give Wataru an intense look. Whatever he saw in Wataru’s expression made him relax though, as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before giving Wataru an intense and serious look. “Paladins protect people; that’s the entire point of our disposition. So, we can feel when there’s something wrong with someone, especially if we know them, have a connection with them. Hell, there have been Paladins that have noticed when a loved one was sick or about to have a heart attack. If its something that puts them in danger, we’ll feel it. The mark of a Shade is dangerous, no matter if it’s placed by an Oni, a Deva, a U.E.A. agent, or just a standard user. But it only takes if there’s a core to latch onto, otherwise it works out of the system within an hour.”

“Then how do you know that I didn’t come in contact with a Shade within the last hour and it just hasn’t dissipated?” Maybe he could convince Kazuki that he’d gotten bumped and it was just another student who didn’t have any reason to be doing this maliciously.

“That just doesn’t feel like what’s going on. Now, I don’t know why you’re being so insistent that I’m wrong and that you don’t have a core, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we get that mark removed. Now, let’s get to your house already. I’d take you to my house since we’ve already got some defenses established, but we need a Regen as soon as possible. Once we get there, call Karin and let her know we need her.”

“I got it!” Wataru snapped back, tired of being ordered around like this; he didn’t react well to being told what to do. “It’s not like I get a say in all this, apparently. I just get to be dragged around to my own house and told to contact my own sister just because the almighty Kazuki tells me to.”

“Finally, you’re catching on,” Kazuki shot back and Wataru couldn’t actually tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

They made it a few blocks in silence when Kazuki suddenly stopped, Wataru not realizing he’d done so until he walked into Kazuki’s back. He stepped around Kazuki so he could see around his shoulder to see his expression, Kazuki seeming to be in deep thought.

He stood there for a few more seconds before he looked around them, then pulled Wataru off the sidewalk and into a nearby alley, moving a ways down so they were truly isolated from the people passing by. Wataru wanted to make a comment about Kazuki being the one to act like he was a danger but was distracted from going through with it as Kazuki finally let him go and took a step away. The hand that had been clenching at Wataru was given a few shakes, like Kazuki had been hurting in holding on, then rested at his side.

Kazuki looked at Wataru then, and the breath was practically knocked out of Wataru’s chest with how open and concerned the expression was. He never would have believed Kazuki would look at him like that and he didn’t know what to do about it. He didn’t know how to handle Kazuki caring for or about him.

But Kazuki didn’t give him much of a chance to recover, speaking in a quiet but serious voice. “Wataru, I need you to be honest with me. I promise that I will never betray anything you tell me to anyone. And I know that we haven’t known each other for very long, but I would never let anything hurt you.”

That was much more intense of a declaration than Wataru felt should be made, considering how distant they’d remained. It felt like such an intimate thing to say and that just wasn’t them. What was going on with his world today?

But in the face of Kazuki’s honesty, he couldn’t help but nod acceptance to Kazuki’s words. Kazuki was trying to help, just like Kawamura and Karin had been, but Kazuki didn’t let him shut him out. He found a way around Wataru’s defenses and found the way to get him to go along with what he wanted on his own.

To some degree, anyway.

“Do you know when you were marked?”

Not what Wataru was expecting to be asked, but he’d take it. “I think it was a few days ago, on the bus ride over to Kawamura's place after that training. Someone bumped into me and it just seemed weird when it happened,” he admitted.

“Do you remember what he looked like?”

“No, I didn’t pay attention. I was busy getting Kawamura to not have a problem with you.”

Kazuki looked confused about that. “Why would he have a problem with me? I've met and talked with him once.” He shook off the distraction quickly, though, focusing back on the issue at hand. “If it’s an Oni, they don’t go around marking civilians for no reason. Usually, they are keeping tabs on someone they plan to attack, which is usually someone who presents either a threat or may be useful to them. Do you have any idea why they might think this about you? Are there any strongly hereditary dispositions in your family that you may be likely to awaken?”

“Sort of,” he couldn’t help but hedge. He was too used to just denying anything had happened.

There was a brief show of irritation in Kazuki’s expression before he seemed to push it aside.

“Is it something dangerous? Can the Oni use you to hurt someone?”

“No!” Wataru couldn’t help but exclaim in response. The thought of anyone somehow using him to hurt others was just wrong and he was only grateful that he really was telling the truth on that. But he still reigned himself back in and gave a more somber, “No.”

Kazuki watched him for a few seconds before giving a shake of his head. “For someone who’s usually so easy to read, you’re making it irritatingly difficult today.”

Wataru didn’t really think that was accurate, considering how hard of a time he was having keeping some control over himself. How could he be difficult to figure out when he kept on yelling? Even now, he could feel himself flushing at the observation.

“I mean that you’re an honest person, both with what you say and with your expressions. I never think to second-guess anything you say because you don’t worry about finding nice ways to say what you think. But that’s not what you’re doing today: you’re being careful about what you say, even when you are responding emotionally. I don’t like it.”

Wataru wanted to be defensive, to say it didn’t really matter what Kazuki liked and didn’t like about him, but it wouldn’t have been as truthful as Wataru would have preferred. For some reason, he liked that Kazuki had made those observations about him, had noticed things about Wataru that Wataru liked about himself.

And even now with all this hassle Kazuki was making, didn’t it come down to protecting Wataru? Wasn’t that what he had said? So, maybe it was worth it to put habits aside and actually help. After all, Wataru being marked like this meant that possibly someone truly dangerous already found out about him. And he was far from being in a position to look out for himself, certainly not if that meant fighting against Oni. He wasn’t a fighter by any means and he didn’t even have a disposition to help him get some sort of advantage.

“Kazuki, are you sure our best option is heading toward my house?” Kazuki looked over to him, thoughtful even as he listened to Wataru. “If they have been keeping track of me for a few days, then they’d know where I live, right?”

“Most likely, and they may have even looked into the dispositions of your family, so they’d know Karin was a Regen. That would be worst case scenario.”

“Dispositions aren’t part of public record,” Wataru remembered.

“No, but that doesn’t mean they’re difficult for people to find if they know where to look. And Oni have made an existence of knowing everything they can about cores that can give them an advantage.”

“So, heading to my house is probably not the best idea, then, right? Once they know for sure you figured out I’m marked, they’re going to do something, right?”

“Most likely, but your house is closer, both to us and to Karin. And your parents have had basic defenses installed in your home; I know, I’ve felt them active when I was over there. If you get in your home, you’ll be protected enough that I can make sure Karin is alright and get her home safely. Then we can file a report with the Devas and make…”

“No!” Wataru interrupted, knowing he was panicking again. He couldn’t help it, though: Devas meant reporting what he had. They’d never let him keep his secret.

“Why not, Wataru?”

“The Devas don’t need to know.”

Kazuki stepped up to him and reached out with both hands to grip Wataru’s arms, the hold supportive and comforting instead of demanding and unwelcome.

“Wataru, it’s their job to make sure you’re safe from the Oni.”

“I know, but no one else needs to know. It doesn’t matter.” When Kazuki looked like he was going to try and press his point, Wataru continued, “You promised you wouldn’t betray what I told you. Telling the Devas would be betraying me.”

Kazuki let out a frustrated sound and Wataru half expected him to leave because even Wataru knew he was being a bit unreasonable. After all, it wasn’t like he had any negative experiences with Devas to make him think so low of them. He just didn’t like that they by default had a good reputation instead of it being truly earned. And this was what they existed for.

Knowing that didn’t mean he could shake off his hesitation to tell them everything, though. Maybe if he actually knew some Devas instead of them being just this idea of the ultimate defense against the Oni.

“Fine, we’ll figure out what to do once the mark is removed,” Kazuki allowed him some leeway and Wataru actually couldn’t help but sigh in relief. He could only handle so much at a time and this was at least one thing off his plate. “Now, you really do need to get somewhere protected. I’m worried that the Shade has been kept close-by to follow you. If he comes in contact with you again, he can strengthen the mark and debilitate you immediately.”

Wataru blinked a few times as he processed that, then felt the urge to hit Kazuki. “You really need to work on how you prioritize details to be conveyed in a crisis situation, Kazuki,” he deadpanned. “I thought you were just being overprotective by saying I need to get out of public.”

“I’m used to people knowing what I’m talking about and not trying to turn everything I say into an argument.”

“Maybe you could try telling me these things instead of just ordering me around. I don’t appreciate it and it’s not like we haven’t been able to hit all the details as it is. Now, we can go already!”

Kazuki’s hold on his arms wasn’t strong so Wataru was able to turn away and start walking back toward the sidewalk before Kazuki jogged to catch up and get back in front of him, reaching out and grabbing Wataru’s wrist before pulling him a bit closer to Kazuki’s side.

He was about to protest being yanked around again even after agreeing to go along until they came to where the alley opened up to the sidewalk and Kazuki’s eyes darted all around and Wataru understood what the other teen was really doing: taking a defensive position over him, likely maintaining contact to be certain of where Wataru was behind him, to ensure he knew Wataru was really there. So, he fell into step behind Kazuki, as close to the taller teen as he could get without tripping over him as they continued on their way to Wataru’s house.

It took about five more minutes to reach Wataru’s home and the journey was made in tense silence. Kazuki kept Wataru practically glued to his side and was constantly scanning their surroundings to look for anything out of the ordinary and that was working to make Wataru nervous.

Maybe he should have told Kazuki to at least talk so his brain wouldn’t be left to its own devices of finding “what ifs” to mull over concerning what was going on. Like, what if the Shade knew that Karin was a Regen and could remove the mark, so he’d gone straight for her when he realized that Kazuki knew about the mark? What if the Shade went after his parents, who were so far from fighters he never wondered where he got his passivity from? What if going home was just trapping him and any defenses that were around the house didn’t matter?

Kazuki’s hand tightened on Wataru’s wrist and he looked over to him. “It’ll be fine, Wataru. I’ll protect you.”

Well, if that didn’t make Wataru blush, nothing would. Not just for it being such an open promise, but the intensity in Kazuki’s tone was powerful and Wataru was sure he’d never be able to forget it when he was questioning what it was that was going on between the two of them. He wouldn’t have an answer, but he doubted he’d ever be able to convince himself it was nothing serious.

They turned the last corner and Wataru quickly looked over to his house, making sure that it was still there and as safe looking as always. Everything seemed alright and there was no one around that didn’t belong. There was no one around but them, and he used his free hand to dig through his bag for his keys.

He suddenly let out a surprised yelp when Kazuki yanked on his arm and he stumbled forward against the solid strength of the other teen, feeling an arm curl across his shoulders as the two of them took a few steps to recover their balance while remaining in close contact.

“Kazuki?” he asked before looking up to see the intense look Kazuki had on his face, gaze fixed on something behind Wataru. Wataru turned as well as he could while still being held tightly and saw someone standing a few feet away from them.

It was a man that was only vaguely familiar as Wataru hadn’t gotten the greatest look at him when he’d seen him on the bus. Then again, there wasn’t much unique about the guy to make him stand out in a crowd. He was a bit taller than Wataru, so average height, had a build that was only just on the heavy side but not seeming unhealthy, clean cut short brown hair, and earth brown eyes. His features weren’t too angular, more on the soft side, which made him look young, but he was likely in his late twenties. He really was just another face in the crowd that Wataru wouldn’t have given a second look, even if he’d known who he was looking for.

His thoughts were interrupted as Kazuki took another step away from the man, taking Wataru with him as he didn’t relax his grip at all. Wataru recalled that all the Shade – because he had no doubt that’s who this was – had to do was touch his skin and he’d be out. So, he pulled his hand free of his bag and held his arm closer to his body protectively, suddenly not liking the warmer weather meaning he was wearing his short-sleeved uniform shirt and exposing more skin.

The guy smirked a bit at the action, but that was it. He just stood there watching the two and that unsettled Wataru all the more. Wasn’t this where he taunted them so he could get his way? Wasn’t that how things like this went?

The tense moments stretched on as both Kazuki and the Shade seemed to be waiting for the other to act with Wataru stuck in the middle as Kazuki didn’t ease up his hold in the slightest. He was effectively uncomfortable and trying to not let that get to him, but it was difficult and he was getting frustrated.

This wasn’t supposed to be his life, dammit!

Finally, the Shade seemed to relax his posture a bit as he smirked over to Kazuki. “Good instincts, for a Paladin. You guys are usually no good without a Qilin to guard your backs.” He relaxed even more to shove his hands into his pockets and Kazuki took Wataru another step away before he continued speaking. “No one said anything about him having anyone close enough to pick up on the mark. Oh well, doesn’t matter to me; I did my job. I get paid either way.”

He turned and started walking away, Kazuki acting quickly to shove Wataru behind him, but kept a solid grip on his arm so he didn’t lose track of him and didn’t let him move away. Wataru was content to allow himself to be maneuvered around; this wasn’t his area of expertise and he wasn’t going to be the reason Kazuki failed at protecting him like he wanted to.

The Shade glanced behind him at the movement and gave them another sneer. “Maybe your instincts aren’t so great after all if you can’t realize I’m not gonna do anything. Don’t waste your energy when there’s no threat or you’ll just exhaust yourself jumping at shadows. Might want to work on that before you have to deal with worse than me. Someone who actually cares.”

What was up with this guy? That was almost like he was giving Kazuki advice. Maybe his interest only lasted as far as his paycheck, Wataru thought a bit sardonically. Kazuki seemed to be just as uncertain as to how he should take that as his shoulders tensed a bit in front of Wataru and his defensive posture slackened as a result.

The Shade disappeared around the corner of the sidewalk, leaving the pair in a stunned silence, both Wataru and Kazuki seeming to just wait for him to appear again.

That just seemed to have been too easy, Wataru thought, especially with how much they were told Oni didn’t value anything but power and were to be avoided at all costs. Sure, Wataru figured there was a bit of exaggeration to discourage people from doing something stupid, like confronting an Oni and getting hurt because of it, but this just wasn’t what he’d expected when he thought about what an interaction with an Oni would be like.

He wasn’t expecting it to be no different than dealing with some of the more stuck-up asshole classmates he put up with. It was just so underwhelming that he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to process it.

Kazuki shook off the stupor first, it only really taking him about half a minute to do so, and he turned back toward Wataru’s home. “Let’s get you inside,” he muttered, the confidence and surety Wataru was used to hearing from Kazuki completely absent.

Wataru followed easily, reaching back into his bag for his keys, pulling them out and unlocking the door in silence before stepping inside his home and letting out a sigh in relief. He might have imagined it, but he just felt like the safety there was supposed to be here was real, that now he really didn’t have to worry.

The two of them stood just inside the door, facing each other but not really looking at each other. Kazuki eventually ran his fingers through his hair as he turned away. “You should call your sister, tell her that she needs to get home immediately. Don’t tell her what’s going on, just that she needs to get here."

“Aren’t you going to go meet her and walk her home to make sure she gets here alright?” Wataru asked, unable to find any bite to put into the question.

“No, it’s not necessary. The Shade isn’t going to go after her. But we still need to remove the mark at once. He may not have been able to make contact with you to increase its strength, but it’s still dangerous. He was serious when he said he’d done his job.”

Wataru didn’t want to just accept the Shade at his word, but he also found he didn’t want to be left alone at the moment. He already wasn’t a fan of being home alone and this just made that feeling worse.

So, he pulled out his phone and called his sister. She proved to be as perceptive as always, knowing that he wouldn’t call her for no reason and answered with a curt, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not hurt, but something’s happened. You need to come home right away.”

She remained quiet for a few seconds before giving an even, “Ok, I’ll be there soon.” She hung up and Wataru let his hands hang at his side as he tried to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed.  
> See you next chapter!


	4. Healing Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mark of the Shade forces Wataru's hand...

Eventually, Kazuki turned around and faced him, his expression severe. “Let me see the mark,” he demanded and Wataru felt his ire return at last.

“I told you, I don’t have a mark on me. Sure, I don’t make a habit of searching my body for random bruises, but I would notice if one suddenly showed up on my head or chest.” He covered his denial with slipping his shoes off so he could step into his home, setting his bag on the table before crossing his arms and facing back towards Kazuki.

He nearly yelped in surprise as Kazuki was just stepping up to him when he turned and was reaching out for Wataru’s head. Wataru moved to step back, but ran into the table and Kazuki got a hand on either side of his head, though the hold was surprisingly gentle. Wataru looked up the difference of height between them to lock gaze with Kazuki and he felt his breath catch at the intensity of Kazuki’s expression.

“Please, Wataru. Just let me check.”

Wataru couldn’t help but give a short nod of assent at the pleading of Kazuki and then he allowed his head to be lowered so Kazuki could inspect his skin. His hands alternated in running through his hair, moving it around to thoroughly search for the bruising beneath the dark locks. This went on for a few minutes, the entire time Wataru spent trying to ignore how much he really didn’t mind being held close like this, even when Kazuki turned him around to look over the back of his head with the same careful touch.

“Okay, it’s not a brain centered core. Let me check for it being centered in your heart.”

Wataru felt his face burn with the flush of his skin. “I know for sure there’s no bruising on my chest,” he declined, drawing the line at stripping off his shirt so Kazuki could look for the mark.

Kazuki’s hands were settled on Wataru’s shoulders and they gave a slight squeeze, like he was soothing him. “Sometimes it shows up on the back. If you just pull up your shirt, I can check your back really quick.”

Wataru wanted to deny the request, he really did. This was just beyond embarrassing and crossing the line of propriety, which he realized right after thinking that how ironic it was that he got caught up on that: he spoke his mind too often to be making a point for propriety’s sake without approaching being hypocritical.

And this was still just Kazuki looking out for him, so his fingers started working the buttons of his uniform and sliding it off his shoulders, leaving him in the sleeveless undershirt he wore underneath. He laid his uniform shirt on the table as he then pulled his undershirt out from his pants and let the cloth hang loose around his hips. There were a few second’s pause before Kazuki’s hands pulled at the bottom of the tank, lifting the material to expose Wataru’s back, Wataru feeling himself flush again.

With his shirt bunched up across his shoulders, Wataru waited for Kazuki to say something about whether or not he saw the mark, but he just stood behind Wataru silently.

It didn’t take long at all for Wataru to get fed up with the wait and he looked over his shoulder. “Well? Is the mark there?”

Kazuki shook his head a little before looking at Wataru, his expression shocked.

His right hand let go of the Wataru’s shirt and fingers brushed against the skin of Wataru’s lower back, the touch barely there. “Yeah, there’s a mark. Here. Not around your heart, where it’s supposed to be.”

Wataru had to take in a deep breath to work past the racing of his heart rate in order to speak again. “What’s that mean?”

“I was going to ask you. This is definitely the Shade’s mark, but this isn’t where it should be showing up. The marks are supposed to identify where the person’s core is located. And cores are located in the heart or either hemisphere of the brain. They aren’t located in anything of the lower abdomen.” Kazuki hesitated as his fingers pressed a little more firmly against Wataru’s skin and Wataru felt a little discomfort from the touch now, like now he felt the pain he was supposed to from the mark and he shied away from the touch a bit.

Kazuki followed the motion at first before he let his hands drop, Wataru’s shirt staying in place because of it fitting a bit snug on him and he pulled it back down all the way as he turned to face Kazuki again, the other teen remaining just a step away from him. He looked thoughtful though, and Wataru was sure it wouldn’t take him long to figure things out.

After all, Wataru may not know all that much about cores and dispositions, but he was aware of what was going on with the mark, knew why it wasn’t where it was expected to be.

And it only took a few more seconds for Kazuki to figure it out as well, or at least as much as he could.

“Unless, the core isn’t centered, where it flows through the body freely.” Kazuki was looking at Wataru intensely now, imploring him to give an answer without being asked.

“Uncentered cores are rare, the rarest types of dispositions there are. They are also the easiest to miss in all the tests and evaluations we have to determine the presence of a core,” Wataru couldn’t help but confirm in a roundabout manner.

“Wataru…” Kazuki started, but Wataru didn’t let him get anything else out.

“It’s not awakened and it’s not mine. So, when I say I’m not a user, I’m not lying.”

“Only in the most literal manner of speaking,” Kazuki shot back. “But you have a core. That makes a difference to any user around you. You said Kawamura was acting defensive over you and I becoming closer? That’s likely because his core has been attempting to create an affinity between the two of you and it being unable to is affecting his natural instincts to protect as a Qilin. Not to mention my own core…” Kazuki cut himself off and Wataru was sure he saw a little color come to his cheeks.

The affinity between cores: a connection that formed between users in response to the endorphins released when people were around close friends or family. Wataru’s mom had once explained it to him as the core’s reaction and representation of love. The stronger the love, the stronger the connection between the cores. And with that connection came this subconscious awareness of the other person, like a feeling that they were just outside your line of sight. People with a formed affinity that spanned years could even get a sense when the other was hurt or died, regardless of distance between them. And affinities were hard to dissolve once they were formed, only affected by the person’s emotions and it was only through no longer feeling genuine love toward the other person that could really sever an affinity.

They were supposed to be this fantastic thing that no one complained about when it came to cores, but here Kazuki was talking like they were some big hassle. It wasn’t Wataru’s fault he couldn’t form an affinity with anyone because the core he had wasn’t awakened. He shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for something that he couldn’t control.

He knew he was glaring and Kazuki seemed to back off a bit when he saw the expression being directed his way.

“You said the core isn’t yours, so it was entrusted to you?” he said, apparently deciding it was best to let the subject of affinities drop for now.

“Yeah, from my grandfather. Back when I was about ten.”

Now that he was actually talking about it, it was something of a relief to reveal his secret. Because even though his family knew about it, they didn’t talk about it because they knew Wataru didn’t like it. To actually tell someone what he’d kept secret for so long wasn’t all that bad.

And for that someone to be Kazuki…

“But that still goes on record. It’s not an easy process to entrust your core to someone when you pass away. It has to go through official channels just to get in contact with an Ouroboros to transfer the core.”

Wataru allowed himself a wry smile at that, which stopped Kazuki short from saying anything else.

“Unless that’s what your grandfather passed on to you, then he could just do it himself.”

“Yeah, well uncentered cores aren’t only the rarest, they are also the most protected because they make for the best targets for Oni, especially since the Oni seemed to wipe out all the Phoenixes. And with Ouroboros having the ability to transfer cores from one person to another, Oni are always targeting them. What better way to gain more power than just taking cores from people and what easier way than through an Ouroboros? So, for protection, all Ouroboros are given multiple identities with their real one declaring them ordinary humans. They are never called in to do a transfer within a five-hundred-mile radius of their hometown or city of residence and they aren’t allowed to be without some sort of protection, usually in the form of a Paladin.

“Did you know that the reason Ouroboros use the official process to transfer their own cores when they entrust it is because doing it themselves decreases the likelihood that it’ll awaken in the recipient?” Kazuki shook his head, remaining silent like he was afraid speaking would make Wataru stop talking. “It’s not really known why, at least not where I’ve looked, it just doesn’t work the same when it’s their own core. My grandfather chose to take that risk and didn’t want anyone to know that he’d entrusted it to me, decided that I should have the right to choose how I used it. And he believed that it wouldn’t matter what the chances, that it would awaken if he gave it to me because he felt it was something I was meant to have. So, he gave me his core and passed away about a month later.”

Kazuki was watching Wataru, seeming to take in everything as he talked. Wataru was surprised he wasn’t getting nervous about the attention, but then figured the subject matter being discussed was an easy way to keep an even mood. Because as much as he didn’t like that he had the core, it wasn’t like he hated his grandfather just because he passed along his core to him.

Kazuki reached out and gave Wataru’s bicep a quick squeeze, his hand warm against Wataru’s skin, but only reminding him that Kazuki could feel the mark on him, that he could feel something wrong with him and he found himself wondering what it felt like, exactly.

“Thank you for telling me, Wataru. Does anyone else know about this?”

“Just my parents and Karin. We don’t really have any other family to be in the know about it and my grandfather said who I told was my choice. I never had a reason to tell anyone before today. I hadn’t planned on telling anyone, ever.”

“Why not? Telling someone you trust doesn’t change anything.”

“It means they know. People are different once they’re users. No one is treated the same once you know they have an awakened core. Not always bad, but it is different. I didn’t want to be different, not when I was just me.”

“Being a user doesn’t change who you are. And it takes a little while, but people forget.”

Wataru gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Believe me, they never forget that you’re capable of something they’re not. They just learn to be less obvious about it.”

Kazuki was quiet for a moment before he let out a rough chuckle, Wataru confused by the response. “You really are something different.”

Wataru frowned and was about to tell Kazuki to elaborate when the door opened and Karin rushed in, quickly checking over Wataru and then Kazuki before she slipped her shoes off and dropped her bag off to the side of the entryway and walked over to Wataru. Before he could worry about what she was going to do, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

“Stop scaring me, Wataru. You don’t just call me and demand I come home with a mere ‘I’m not hurt’ and expect me not to worry. You always seem to forget that I know you would tell me you weren’t hurt if you were bleeding out just to keep me from freaking out.”

“For good reason with this being the reaction,” he retorted as she pulled away and cuffed him on the back of the head. Karin tended to get slightly violent with him when she was really frustrated with him.

She turned her attention to Kazuki and her demeanor shifted to polite kindness faster than Wataru thought she should be able to. “What’s going on? Why did I need to come home right away like this?” And now Wataru thought it wasn’t right that she had asked Kazuki instead of him.

“Have you heard of the Shade disposition?”

Karin’s expression gave away her answer. “Yes, they can be very dangerous and their marks can only be removed by a Regen. Why, did one of you come in contact with a Shade?”

 Wataru rolled his eyes as she basically just gave away his secret, even if he’d already told. Then again, she probably figured if Kazuki wasn’t in the know, they wouldn’t have called on her like this. Karin picked up on stuff like that better than Wataru did.

“Wataru was marked a few days ago.”

“A few days…” Karin muttered as she glanced over to him, likely lining up the time frame correctly to Wataru’s asking her to check for a core in him.

“I know you haven’t officially begun your training of your disposition, but there is a lot of information available for Regens to practice as soon as their core awakens. Since you’re familiar with Shades, do you know what to do to remove the mark?”

“I know the general idea: it’s basically like flushing an infection, but I just alter my approach a little for it being caused by a core’s power.”

That sounded easy enough to Wataru: he knew she’d worked with clearing up infections before and similar experience was better than none, he figured.

Kazuki apparently agreed because he gave her a smile, Wataru certain he saw relief in the expression. “The mark is on his lower back. Wataru, you should probably sit down for this.”

“Why?” he couldn’t help but ask, no matter how much he trusted Karin.

It was Karin who answered. “It’s supposed to hurt quite a bit. The mark basically tricks the person’s core into thinking it’s not dangerous to be there and so their own core resists until the Regen can expose the mark as something harmful and it can be separated and cleared from the system.”

“Great, just what I wanted to finish the day with,” Wataru muttered as he pulled one of the chairs out from the table and turned it around to sit in it backwards, exposing his back to Karin.

He was aware of her kneeling behind him and then his shirt was again lifted about halfway up his back. As he felt her fingers brushing lightly against his skin in the same spot that Kazuki had, he crossed his arms over the back of the chair and buried his face into them, his body tensing from his shoulders down the entirety of his arms and his fingers clenching into the skin of his biceps.

He felt the first touch of Karin’s power flow into him, familiar with the feel but able to tell it was different than when she was healing him. She was still healing him even if it wasn’t going to be like any other time she’d used her disposition with him, he reminded himself in an attempt to remain somewhat relaxed.

It wasn’t working as well as he thought it should.

The first hint of pain came to Wataru and he made sure to keep breathing evenly. It wasn’t anything bad, like the lingering sting of taking a solid hit from a fall. He didn’t even entertain the idea that it wouldn’t be all that bad, knowing Karin wouldn’t have made a point of detailing how it’d hurt if this was all.

Warm fingers wrapped around his wrist and Wataru looked up as Kazuki kneeled down in front of him. He had placed himself just a bit off-center of Wataru so he could see past his shoulder and to Karin, but he was watching Wataru now and Wataru found himself unable to break eye contact, even as the pain in his back began to flare.

Kazuki was the first to break the silence between them. “This isn’t going to be over just because we remove the mark, you know.”

Wataru breathed out a strained laugh as the pain was really starting to become difficult to ignore, steadily rising. “Your subject sucks as a distraction.”

Kazuki smirked at him. “I figured your brain can only handle thinking of one thing at a time so an intellectual subject was the one to go for.” Wataru managed a glare before he had to take in a deep breath and buried his face back into his arms as the pain became more of a constant burn spreading out from the point in his lower back. Kazuki squeezed his wrist, trying to keep him aware of the touch. “We might not have to worry about the Shade again, but someone knows about you and they are obviously invested in your core. And since you refuse to go to the Devas, we’ll need to figure out how to make sure you stay safe.”

Wataru gave some attention to his surprise that Kazuki wasn’t going to insist they go to the Devas. Between them actually running into the Shade and him implying they really did have Oni to worry about and Wataru revealing that he had a dormant Ouroboros core inside him, he was sure something would have been enough to negate the deal to not take the situation to the professionals. But he was keeping his promise…

“I’m nearly done, Wataru. Just a little longer, but be ready for there to maybe be another flare-up right at the end,” Karin warned him, her voice tight from the effort she was putting into the power flowing through Wataru to cleanse the mark.

Kazuki’s other hand was suddenly on Wataru’s bicep, gripping him firmly in a show of support that Wataru really did appreciate. So, he unfurled his fingers from digging into his own arm and rested his hand over Kazuki’s, squeezing his hand instead in his attempt to focus the pain somewhere. He just didn’t know what else to do as Karin proved right as he suddenly felt like something was being pulled out of him through his body and out the skin of his back, making him groan in the pain and drop his head back down against his arms as his entire body stiffened so much he felt like he could barely breath.

Then, just as he felt like he would have to demand that Karin stop and that he couldn’t take anymore, the burning suddenly stopped and he sagged against the chair with a weary sigh. It was over, leaving him panting, covered in a layer of sweat, and with only a lingering soreness around his lower back just off to the right of his spine.

They were silent for about a minute before Kazuki said in a low voice, “It’s gone. The threat to your system has been removed. Good work, Karin.”

Karin’s hands pulled away from Wataru’s back and she fixed Wataru’s shirt before he heard her stand, him not feeling ready to put in the effort it would take to lift his head.

“Good. Just to be clear, I never want to do that again. Oh, and that’s two you owe me now, Wataru.”

He didn’t think lifting his hand away from his arm to wave toward her in acknowledgement should have been that much work, but it was and he only felt more inclined to not move for as long as he could get away with it.

He was surprised to feel her fingers brush through his hair at the crown of his head before he heard her step away, moving towards her room.

“Let me know if there’s anything else you need from me when you guys work everything out. I suggest not telling Mom and Dad if not telling the Devas remains part of the plan; you know that they believe wholeheartedly that the Devas are the only ones who should deal with the Oni.”

Wataru hummed out an agreeing sound, gradually recovering his even breathing and not feeling so exhausted.

When Kazuki had told him that the mark would have to be removed, he hadn’t thought that it would have been that rough. After all, he hadn’t even known the damn thing was there. And it had never hurt to have Karin heal him, the idea of a Regen causing pain actually seeming counter-intuitive.

But it was finished and now all Wataru had to do was figure out what they were going to do. Oni had figured out he had an Ouroboros core, one of the most useful cores an Oni could control. And just because it was dormant in him didn’t mean that it would be dormant in someone else. Even more terrifying was the thought that just because it was dormant in him now didn’t mean it would always be like that. A good percentage of entrusted cores remained dormant until some sort of traumatic event caused them to awaken, especially if the person didn’t have an active core already, like Wataru.

What if being marked was enough to awaken the core and now he really had something to worry about? He held every belief that the Oni could find a way to force him to use the core for their benefit. They were Oni: hurting people to get what they wanted was entirely what they were known for.

Wataru ran his fingers through his hair roughly, nearly dislodging the grip Kazuki still had on him, but the other teen followed the motion so that he stayed in contact; a very purposeful action and one that meant a lot to Wataru even if he wasn’t really sure why.

“Damnit, no one was supposed to know about the core,” he muttered his frustration, because that’s what it all came back to. His grandfather had done everything he could to make sure the two of them were the only ones who knew that he’d entrusted Wataru his core. Wataru had told his parents and Karin the next day in a panic of what would happen to him now that he had a core, but he’d never told anyone else and his family would have kept the secret as well, regardless of how his parents wanted him under the protection of the Devas.

Maybe they hadn’t been wrong…

“Do you have any idea how the Oni found out about the Ouroboros core?” Kazuki asked.

“Not a damn clue. Unless they got a hold of my grandfather’s records and made a lucky guess, there’s no one who knows that would have told. And this is why I wasn’t going to tell anyone. Dormant or not, having an Ouroboros disposition means I’m required to have protection in place. And you know how they get about rules like this: they have to protect the rare dispositions to keep any more from going extinct. Like anyone could stop it if it’s going to happen.”

“Your pessimist is showing,” Kazuki’s tone lightened ever so slightly at the jibe and Wataru found that he likely would have smiled if he’d been in a bit of a better mood and wasn’t still feeling the lingering effects of the mark’s removal. Kazuki then let out a sigh and Wataru got the feeling he didn’t necessarily like what he was going to say. “You do remember that I’m a Paladin, right?”

Wataru finally lifted his head to give Kazuki a flat look. “Of course I remember you’re a Paladin. Why?”

“We can take advantage of that and let me look after you as a Paladin. Unlike the Devas, the Protection of the Paladins Organization places the lives of others in a higher regard than always following the rules to the letter. If one of us sees someone we believe needs to be protected, we can act without official assignment and the organization will respect our decision. And, if it comes down to it, our personal decision can be considered official action as long as we are acting in a manner that best reflects the values of the Paladins.”

Wataru needed a few seconds to think that over, figure out what Kazuki was actually saying to him.

“I guess I get what you’re saying, I just don’t understand what you mean,” he finally admitted honestly.

“I protect you, take that required position as your defender. And if it is ever comes out that you’re an Ouroboros, we can use that to say that you were already meeting the requirements of your disposition because I’m protecting you.”

So, Wataru had been right to think that’s what Kazuki had been telling him. He hadn’t wanted to be right.

“I don’t want someone getting hurt for my sake, Kazuki. That’s why I don’t want someone assigned to me.”

The fingers still on his arm tightened on his skin. “I’m going to be watching over you whether you agree or not. You can’t make me not protect you, Wataru. But if you let me, we can work together on it and it’ll be easier and safer for you. So, do you agree to let me look out for you?”

Looking into Kazuki’s green eyes, Wataru could only see that he really cared. Kazuki really just wanted to make sure he was okay, and no matter the reason behind that, Wataru knew he didn’t have it in him to just tell him no. And, if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t actually mind the idea of Kazuki being around like he was today. That seemed significant, considering how opposed he was to anyone putting themselves in danger for him. And while the thought of Kazuki getting hurt because of him deeply bothered him, he believed he understood Kazuki’s feelings enough to allow him what he wanted.

“Yeah, you can look after me,” he agreed in a quiet voice.

Kazuki’s body seemed to release a deep tension and his gaze took on an attractive softness before taking on the more familiar spark of mischief.

“Like you really had a choice. As I said, it’d be happening either way.”

Wataru couldn’t help the defiance that flared inside him. “Yeah, well, at least I can keep a low profile when I go somewhere. That’s good for something, like avoiding you if I really wanted to.”

“But you don’t.”

No, he really didn’t and he needed to figure that out before it got out of hand, especially with Kazuki all but promised to be at his side for the foreseeable future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed.  
> See you next time!


	5. Next Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wataru and Yuichi take some time to reflect...

“You really should tell Kawamura about the core.”

“Why? I thought you didn’t care that he doesn’t like you.”

“I don’t and that has nothing to do with why I think you should be honest with him.”

“Hey, I never actually lie about it. I actually can’t pull off lying so I don’t bother with the hassle. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that I always tell people I’m not a user, which is the complete truth.”

He was surprised he didn’t get an eye roll for that clarification. “I was wondering how you got away with no one figuring it out when I haven’t seen you accomplish a believable lie once since we met. I’m actually impressed you found that loophole for yourself.”

Wataru felt his face heat up at the jest, but mostly because it was an accurate statement: neither of them was exaggerating his inability toward dishonesty. He really was a laughably bad liar.

Which was also why he was nervous about telling Kawamura about having a core. They’d been friends for so long and Kawamura knew him so well that it was hard to tell how he’d react to learning the truth. Wataru didn’t have many friends – by choice – and he didn’t want to lose who he had because of this.

“It’s not just about him being your friend and being honest with him,” Kazuki continued smoothly when it was obvious Wataru was still against it. “He’s a Qilin, a disposition that exists solely to defend against the power generated by other cores. Because of this, they are generally more in tune with the existence of cores. It is likely that Kawamura is already picking up on the Ouroboros core and that is why he is acting so protective over you when it comes to me. But because he is sure you don’t have a core, he’s applying the wrong rationalization to what he’s picking up on and is essentially teaching himself to either misinterpret or simply ignore his instincts. Either way, it does him no good to not be aware of your status. And it does you no good to continue to lie to your friend.”

“I haven’t gotten scolded like that since I was eight,” Wataru muttered as he dropped his pen to the table on his notebook and sat back.

The two had decided to head to the café near the school that they’d gone to often for Kazuki to tutor him, though today they had simply both worked on their own before Kazuki had brought up the whole Kawamura topic. It had been just over two weeks since the Shade’s mark had been removed and there had been nothing more as far as Oni activity toward Wataru was concerned.

And Wataru had been looking. He’d never paid so much attention to his surroundings as he had these past few weeks. Now, he was always keeping an eye out for people watching him or looking for familiar faces on the bus. He’d even started mixing up the route he took to school and home, regardless of the fact that Kazuki always walked with him.

Because that was how Kazuki protected him: he met up with Wataru at his door in the morning to walk to school with him and then met up with him on most days to walk him home. If Kawamura and Wataru had plans for after school, Wataru called Kazuki when he was heading home and stayed on the phone with him until he got home. Wataru suspected that Kazuki didn’t stay home while on the phone with him, but instead was always on the move toward him while they were talking. They didn’t live too great a distance from each other, but it would have been enough that if something did happen, Kazuki wouldn’t get there in time to help him and all this would be pointless.

And it was obvious that Kazuki took this protecting him thing seriously.

And Wataru was still really uncomfortable with the whole situation, though that wasn’t likely to change.

“Are you afraid that telling him will lose you his friendship?" Kazuki suddenly asked and Wataru didn’t like that the other teen seemed to understand him so well that he could seemingly so easily figure out his thoughts.

“A little,” he admitted. “Rationalization aside, I have been lying to him for nearly as long as we’ve been friends. It’s not like he puts so much value into whether or not someone is a user, but it’s one of those things that makes a difference between people.”

“Because of affinities?”

Wataru remembered that had come up when Kazuki had found out about his core.

“That’s part of it, yeah. I talked to Karin about it that night after you left and she told me what it was like to have an affinity failing to form. She said it’s worse when she’s using her power to heal me, but even when she’s near me she can feel her core reaching for me and for me to not reach back is just about the most frustrating sensation she’s ever experienced. And she knows what’s going on. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be experiencing that and _not_ know why, like it must be for Kawamura. Because I know that those two are the only people I’d have an affinity with. I’m not close enough to anyone else.”

“It’s common for everyone to only have an affinity form with a few people, no matter how many friends they have. Our emotions are stronger when we’re interacting with people we have deep feelings for and that’s what greatly instigates the core’s response to form an affinity. Researchers don’t like to admit it, but the affinity connections are one of the aspects of cores they don’t have the best grasp on fully understanding. It’s right up there with why they can’t completely predict who will develop a core.” Kazuki’s tone was off, seeming flat for some reason.

Wataru crossed his arms as he relaxed back against his chair. “Are you alright, Kazuki?” he asked.

Green eyes looked up at him, seeming surprised that he had asked. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

Wataru shrugged as he felt his face warm a bit. “I don’t know. It just seemed like I should ask. You didn’t sound right.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning you sounded off when you were talking. If you don’t want me to think something’s wrong, don’t sound weird.” It didn’t help that while Wataru was pretty good at picking up when something was off with people, he wasn’t so great at figuring out _why_ he thought something was wrong. He just wasn’t good enough with people. Unless it was Karin or Kawamura, he usually didn’t even ask, but he had just felt like it was something that was going to bother him.

And now Kazuki was giving him an intense look that he just wasn’t good at handling without getting flustered.

“It bothers you?” Kazuki asked and Wataru knew he was blushing now.

“So what if it does? We’re friends or something, right? Should I not be worried when something seems wrong?”

There was a complicated expression to Kazuki now, a quick shifting of emotions that Wataru would admit he was too flustered to try and figure out. He wanted to understand Kazuki, he really did, but sometimes it just felt like it wouldn’t actually make anything easier when it came to talking with him. He and Kazuki were just on different levels and he didn’t know how to close that gap between them.

Kazuki’s expression settled into a smile, not a teasing one or one of amusement, just a content smile that Wataru thought made it easy to understand why Kazuki’s looks were infamous in their school.

Though he was getting those thoughts more often lately even without Kazuki giving him his nicer expressions.

That’s just what he needed: his emotions getting all out of whack and making him question how he felt about someone he was spending nearly every day with.

“Don’t worry about me. After all, I’m the one who’s supposed to be looking after you. It’s just a vicious circle if we’re distracted by concern over each other,” Kazuki reasoned but he still sounded content.

“Really? You’re looking out for Oni taking some sort of action against me and ‘don’t worry’ is what you’re going with? Just a heads up: I’m not even going to try and go through with that.”

“I figured. You don’t listen to anyone.”

Wataru decided to ignore that, figuring that he’d end up coming off too strong in his denial and prove Kazuki’s point. It wasn’t like it was some secret that he didn’t like to be told what to do.

“So, we’ve been avoiding the subject long enough, but what do you plan to do if an Oni _does_ show up?”

“What do you think I’m planning on doing?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I asked,” Wataru snapped back before he remembered they were in public and he leaned forward so he could lower his voice, noticing the elderly woman at the counter glancing over at him for raising his voice. “Are you actually allowed to do anything against them?”

“Yes. All Paladins have gone through all training attributed with our disposition by the time we’re fourteen. The years between finishing training and when we turn eighteen is for our sake of figuring out what we want to do with our lives, just like everyone else. But it doesn’t mean we’re any less capable as Paladins.

“Besides, it’s basically our responsibility to fight against an Oni if we come across one. It’s what we do. So, when the Oni make a move against you, I have complete freedom to do what it takes to defend you. I may be questioned if it’s revealed that we knew about the threat beforehand, asked why I didn’t speak to any officials, whether Deva or U.E.A. or even reps of the P.P.O., but nothing I do is against any rules.”

Wataru thought that over for a bit. “Isn’t that a loophole around the Devas authority?”

“There’s plenty who think so, but not enough for people to want to change it. Ultimately, many of us take on the role of the ‘good Samaritan,’ the ones who see something bad happening and do what they can to help, from informing the authorities to intervening. The Devas rely on our freedom and the Protection of the Paladins work to ensure we are spread evenly between civilian and official positions. It’s why we aren’t discouraged from careers that have nothing to do with our dispositions.”

“It helps that it isn’t a rare disposition. There’s always a sizeable force of trained Paladins that they can be spread throughout the world and still be plenty in each country.”

“Yes, that’s a factor as well. It’s much different than the Ouroboros, where there are maybe a few hundred of you throughout the entire world at any given time.”

“If that many.”

Despite the entrusting of cores being a relatively common practice for people to include in their wills and an Ouroboros being the only disposition capable of carrying out the transfer of a core from one person to another, it was a rare disposition and the active ones were kept insanely busy. And even those who chose not to go around transferring cores around for a living, they didn’t get normal lives. It was one of those dispositions that was perpetually an inconvenience to the user.

Was it any wonder Wataru had developed such a negative opinion towards cores with that as his life with one?

But that did give Wataru an opportunity to voice a concern he had. “What if I don’t want there to be a fight over my dormant core?”

“What?” Kazuki’s voice was low and even and it really seemed like he was holding himself back.

“It’s dormant, right? So, it’s not like they can even make me use it. And if they have access to another Ouroboros, one who could use their abilities, it’d be moot to come after me. What if they just used the Shade to see for sure that I had the core but realized that I can’t use it so they backed off. What if all this work you’re putting in to watching out for me is a waste of time?”

“And what if it’s not? What if me being around is the only thing keeping them from making a move against you? If a new core can awaken in basically anyone at any moment, how much easier do you think it is for an existing core to awaken? Significant trauma is the most common method for a core to awaken and Oni have had a lot of time to get extremely proficient at forcing trauma on their victims. Them confirming that you are an Ouroboros was about the most dangerous thing that could have happened for you and we can only hope that whoever it is that hired the Shade is working alone and hasn’t spread the word about you to anyone else.”

Kazuki was right, of course. And Wataru even truly believed that he was legitimately in danger. He just didn’t _want_ to believe it. So, he’d risk sounding possibly naïve and definitely stubborn for that. Though Kazuki really didn’t seem happy with that based on how tight his voice had gotten, like he was forcing himself to remain as calm as he was. Maybe not so much angry as just frustrated with Wataru arguing the point. It probably didn’t help that Wataru had been opposed to the idea all along. And then there was the fact that he wasn’t a patient person. At all. So, waiting around for something to happen just didn’t work to his strengths.

Kazuki leaned forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the table between them to move in closer to Wataru. He looked like he was going to say something, but then simply reached across the table and took a firm hold of Wataru’s hand, making Wataru jump and nearly pull away, but stopped himself.

Instead, he asked, “Kazuki?”

Kazuki just gave him a sly smile that made Wataru think he should question whatever Kazuki said in reply. “I’m just checking. I can’t trust you to know when something’s wrong when you don’t even notice a Shade’s mark.”

Wataru thought he might be blushing at the warmth of Kazuki’s hand on his. Sure, it wasn’t the first time, but there wasn’t an emergency happening now to distract him. “I haven’t been marked again, Kazuki. Give me enough credit to be able to recognize the Shade if I saw him again.”

“A Shade’s mark isn’t the only thing that I’m looking for. I’m checking for anything nearby that is a threat to you. I told you how Paladins can feel when there’s a danger to someone, right?” Wataru gave a slight nod. “It doesn’t have to be something internal, like the mark was. We’re aware of anything that can hurt who we’re protecting and touch is the easiest way to feel it when there is no affinity.”

Wataru thought back to when Kazuki had been taking him home and had pulled him away from the Shade before Wataru even knew he was there. And the Shade had seemed as surprised as Wataru that Kazuki had caught him. Was that what had happened, that Kazuki had felt the threat to Wataru and had protected him?

“It’s not something many people know about so I’d appreciate it staying between us,” Kazuki finished with a smirk, a bit of his normal attitude towards Wataru returning. “If I can trust you to keep a secret.”

Wataru wasn’t expecting to have the thought that he’d sort of missed that attitude. It was like Kazuki seemed a bit…freer when he was throwing sarcastic comments toward him. There was a certain playfulness to him when he was like this that made it feel like he was being more honest. And Wataru knew Kazuki liked getting him to react, and Wataru was pretty easily manipulated into giving a reaction. He also figured plenty of people would think badly of Kazuki for how he went about getting those reactions, going for wry humor and sarcasm tended to get people thinking the person was rude, but that part of Kazuki didn’t make him any less genuinely kind.

So, Wataru got to see a side of Kazuki he didn’t show anyone else and he didn’t mind that so much once he’d realized that a few days ago.

“Yeah, because I’ve got the worst reputation for blabbing secrets to absolutely everyone. I’m right in the middle of the rumor mill, got my ear in absolutely everything happening throughout the entire school.”

Kazuki got a familiar grin on his face, one that usually told Wataru he’d walked right into something.

“You know, you’re not so removed from the spotlight at school as you’d like to think,” he said smugly. “Not anywhere near the level that I’m at, of course, but still, you get due attention.”

Kawamura would say something similar, but Wataru had never listened. And with it being Kazuki, he wasn’t sure if he should listen to him or if he was teasing him still. Though, Kazuki did tend to use honest declarations that flustered Wataru to get to him…

“Right. And just what have I done lately to gain anyone’s attention at school?”

“You mean besides suddenly being seen regularly in my company? There are even some of the girls in your classes that are getting pretty adventurous in their theories as to why we’re suddenly spending so much time together.”

Wataru let out a heavy sigh as his head dropped down to rest on his arm, hiding his face even as Kazuki kept hold of his hand. “I bet that’s all Tachibana’s doing. She’s always getting involved in everything, especially if it’s to do with you.” Girls like her were prime examples of why Wataru made such an effort to keep to himself. But then Kawamura had a serious crush on her so Wataru ended up hearing about her all the time when he let his friend gush.

Wataru’s head lifted quickly as what Kazuki said really registered. “What do you mean they’re getting adventurous in their theories? What could there possibly be besides us being friends?”

Kazuki still looked entirely too smug about all this. “They’re just noting how odd it is that it’s only been the past few months where we’ve been seen regularly with each other and that’s strange since we don’t have any similar social circles. And with me being a grade higher than you, that gives us even less of an opportunity to suddenly be close.” Finally, Kazuki gave what seemed like a dismissive shrug and Wataru figured he might be done being teased. “They’re being pretty dramatic about the subject, even for high school gossip. I’m just surprised you didn’t know about it, what with how often it seems to come up.”

“Yeah, well, I try not to get involved with that waste of time. Nothing good ever comes from gossip and rumors.”

“Oh, I agree. But knowing what other people are noticing about you is good information to keep on top of. It doesn’t take much at all for those same details to be turned against you.”

Of course Kazuki would take a practically tactical approach to rumors and gossip. After all, he was a Paladin, warrior extraordinaire and that included being able to figure out the planning aspect of a “conflict.”

Wataru just didn’t have the patience for that kind of approach. It was all he could do to just _deal_ with most of his fellow students. He couldn’t wait to be done with high school so he could get away from high schoolers.

But even as Wataru was frustrated by it, he had a thought he just couldn’t keep from asking Kazuki about. “Doesn’t it bother you?”

“Which part?”

“All of it, I guess. Just all the attention people place on you because of how you look. It’s like they think they have the right to know or come up with whatever they want when they don’t know something, no matter what the subject is in relation to you. Don’t you deserve the same privacy they get regardless of how good-looking or talented or nice you are? What business is it of theirs who you’re friends with or what any relationship you have with someone else really is? That’s your life and you have every right to live it without people you don’t even know breathing down your neck every second questioning it.”

Wataru hadn’t meant to go on like he had; just once he’d gotten started, he hadn’t been able to stop. And while he knew most of what he was saying was coming from an irritation at his fellow classmates for their behavior, he also knew that he was embarrassed to have been included in their musings as people the two of them didn’t really know decided to speculate on their lives. It really wasn’t their business.

Kazuki, for his part, didn’t seem to know what to do with Wataru’s sudden outburst of honesty. His eyes were glued to Wataru, but they were unfocused as he was obviously deep in thought and it took long enough for Wataru to feel his cheeks start to flush for him to work through whatever he’d been thinking about.

“You know something, Wataru?” Kazuki finally said and his expression warmed with emotions Wataru didn’t really want to identify, if only because it felt too much like he was projecting his own growing emotions on what he saw in Kazuki. “You really are something different. I’m complimented all the time for one thing or another, but it often feels like what they’re making a big deal of isn’t anything that really matters. Not only do you not do anything like that, but the things you notice about other people are the things that really _do_ matter, like who they really are, what they’re capable of. What’s more, you can put what you see to words and you can tell them to their face, not just behind their back.”

Wataru knew he was blushing now.

But then there was a flash of recognition to what Kazuki had said: it was so similar to what his grandfather had told him before entrusting him with his core. He’d said it was the reason he’d chosen Wataru in the first place. And it was something he’d seen in Wataru when he was ten. For Kazuki to see it now, that felt important.

Then there was the fact that Kazuki’s hand was still holding onto him, even squeezing a bit as if to remind him the touch was still there, that he wasn’t letting go.

Wataru was acutely aware of how fast his heart was pounding and how he couldn’t seem to string two words together for a response. What was someone supposed to be able to say to something like that?

So, he didn’t say anything. He just accepted Kazuki’s touch, maybe even enjoyed it. But the important part was that he let it continue. And for someone who didn’t actually like being touched by many people, that said a lot.

And Kazuki, as usual, seemed to understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed.  
> See you next time.


	6. Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day goes south for Wataru...

The weekends made for a strange two days for Wataru lately. Because while it hadn’t really been long since Yuichi became a regular figure in his life, there wasn’t really a reason for them to see each other without school to connect them.

And Wataru found himself not wanting to need an excuse to see Yuichi with increasing regularity. He wanted to feel like they had more of a connection than Yuichi acting as a protector for Wataru against the unknown Oni that threatened him.

But Wataru wasn’t good at reaching out to people: his single good friend was proof of that much. And while Kawamura had seemed to work something out with himself concerning Yuichi, since he hadn’t given Wataru any more trouble about them spending time together, he didn’t think it would be right to ask his friend for advice on the matter. It just seemed really inconsiderate and he wasn’t looking to cause a rift between them.

Which was why he’d decided to spend Saturday after they’d finished their morning classes with Kawamura. It had been quite a while since they’d just hung out for a few hours over the weekend and Wataru realized that he’d missed that.

And Karin had been commenting that he was turning into a hermit so he figured he should get out or she’d never back off. She was already worried enough about him because of the Shade, he didn’t want to make it worse for her.

But he still felt like he needed to play it safe – it really wouldn’t do well to be complacent when he was with someone who didn’t know what was going on – so he’d suggested they just hang out at Kawamura’s and get some solid time in on his latest game.

It had worked, too, the two falling into a familiar rhythm of playing the game while jibing back and forth, taking breaks every once in a while for snacks or to give a subject of discussion its due attention because Kawamura committed to his rants and demanded Wataru give him his full attention once he got going.

But both of them could only be entertained like that for so long and Wataru’s threshold for games was quite a bit shorter than Kawamura’s. And Kawamura knew Wataru so he picked up on when Wataru’s interest was really waning.

“Didn’t you say that you owed Karin a favor?” Kawamura suddenly asked, even as his eyes stayed glued to the TV while Wataru relaxed back against the bedframe, skimming through one of Kawamura’s books and deciding if it was interesting; he wasn’t much of a reader, but sometimes he found something to hold his attention.

“Yeah, she’s putting off asking for me to pay up as usual. She really is lucky that I love her or I’d never put up with her,” Wataru replied with a smile.

Kawamura was an only child, so he tended to think the relationship between Wataru and Karin was strange, albeit really amusing.

“Why don’t you just get the drop on her?”

“Meaning?”

Kawamura grinned, obviously thinking he had a brilliant strategy in mind. “Don’t wait for her to come and collect. Just go get something you know she’ll like and surprise her. Then when she tries to say you still owe her, you can say you already paid her back.”

Wataru’s first thought was that it was a horrible idea; Karin would just ignore him and likely do something embarrassing to make him regret thinking he could get one over on her. After all, he may be older, but she was definitely the cleverer of them.

But then he had the thought that he didn’t actually mind the thought of doing something nice for her without it meaning anything but for him to have done it for her. She had done so much for him and definitely deserved it.

But, he could keep that part to himself and let Kawamura think he’d been brilliant about the whole thing.

“That’ll work, I guess. But if she calls me out on it, I won’t hesitate to say it was your idea.”

Kawamura paused the game and looked back to Wataru with an affronted expression. “You’d really sell me out like that?”

“To Karin? In a second and with no regret. I have to live with her, remember?”

“Still a low blow, man,” Kawamura muttered before turning back to his game, but Wataru could tell he was set to get to a good spot to turn it off. “So, where do you think is the best place to get your favor replacement gift? And please don’t say a lingerie shop.”

Wataru frowned and gave a shudder. “That’s my sister we’re talking about. Why would that even be an option in your mind? Never say something like that to me again.”

He could see enough of Kawamura’s profile to see the grin and his frown deepened, knowing his friend had done that on purpose.

“You’re an asshole,” he muttered as he stood up to put the book away, Kawamura following a few seconds later as he turned off his TV and console, stretching his arms up to work out the kinks from being hunched over like he always did while he was playing. “She hasn’t gotten any new jewelry lately. She’d probably appreciate a nice bracelet or earrings. She really loves accessories like that.”

“Oh yeah, I remember you saying that’s been a good go-to for you getting gifts for her for a while,” Kawamura mused as he grabbed his light jacket off the back of the chair at his desk. “So, we hit up the mall and find something to quell her fury and call it a day.”

Wataru followed his friend out of his room and toward the door, slipping on his shoes and stepping outside of Kawamura’s place, then waited for his friend to lock the door behind him.

They walked in a comfortable silence for about a block before Kawamura spoke, though his tone was a bit more serious than Wataru expected from his friend. “You know, it wouldn’t bug me if you started dating Kazuki,” he declared.

And Wataru literally tripped over nothing, his feet stumbling a bit as he tried to make sure he kept from falling over, muttering some profanity in the process. That had been so far from what he expected Kawamura to say, really at any time and he had no idea how he was supposed to respond. He was actually so surprised that he realized he wasn’t even flustered as he’d normally be when talking about something private like this.

“Say what? I’m not dating Kazuki,” Wataru retorted, his voice breaking a little in his rush of emotion.

“Oh, I know you’re not dating him, but you’re definitely interested.”

Wataru was a little relieved to hear that while Kawamura sounded confident in what he was saying, there was the slightest undertone of being uncomfortable. After all, he didn’t want to be the only one not happy with the subject being brought up between them. The two of them didn’t usually talk about who they were interested in. Well, sometimes Kawamura would vent about a girl being interested in someone else, but only when he was having a _really_ bad day.

“What makes you say that?”

“Come on, Wataru. I’ve known you for too long for you to think I haven’t noticed something’s up between you two. And then there was that whole affinity thing.”

“Meaning…”

Kawamura stopped walking, turned around and looked at Wataru directly, though it was likely his way of building himself up to keep the conversation going to make his point.

“I know you don’t care much about cores and affinities and all that, so you probably don’t get all the big deal with affinities.” That was true to some extent, Wataru would admit, though he’d gotten more interested over the past few weeks for obvious reasons. Not enough to look into them further on his own, but enough that he genuinely wanted to hear what Kawamura had to say. “Affinities don’t lie. The connection that forms between two people’s cores is about the most honest thing in the world, especially when it comes to cores. It’s why they’re such a big deal in any romance that involves two users.

“I started thinking about this after that day in the gym, thought about what I saw and what that meant for the two of you. Then, I started thinking about all the things you’d told me about how Kazuki treats you. You really do see a side of him that no one else does and there’s not too many reasons for someone to act like that. And affinities don’t try to form between people who hate each other.”

Yuichi had been telling him pretty much the same thing, Wataru admitted. And hadn’t he even cut himself off from admitting something about what Wataru meant to him the day he found the mark? And, sure, they could probably be considered friends now, but that wasn’t what Kawamura was implying and it wasn’t how Wataru felt about Yuichi.

“Look, I only know what I saw. And if I’m really wrong about how you feel, then you should probably tell me. Either way, you should be honest with Kazuki. Affinities don’t usually try to form between someone who has a core and someone who doesn’t, but anything’s possible. What I do know is that it hurts to have your core reach out and for there to be nothing there. Rejection is one thing and the core accepts that, but to not get an answer just sucks. No one, except maybe some Oni, deserves to just not know how the person their core reaches out to feels about them.”

Wataru crossed his arms, feeling some of the discomfort that Kawamura seemed to have shaken off as he’d talked. “So, you just want me to go up to Yuichi Kazuki and confess that I like him?”

Kawamura smirked at him. “Well, that wouldn’t be the worst way to go about it. Maybe build up to it a little. Probably shouldn’t do it at school, though. Gossip would pick that up in a second.”

“Right, because apparently doing nothing to get their attention has helped me in the past, let’s add a public declaration of love to keep me out of the spotlight.”

Kawamura turned and started walking again with Wataru following a few steps behind. “Nothing gets people’s attention like avoidance, my dear Wataru. Besides, don’t you know that the uninterested persona is all sorts of attractive?”

Wataru rolled his eyes at that. “It’s not a persona when it’s how I actually am.”

“How are they supposed to know that?” Kawamura was officially having too much fun with this line of conversation.

“Maybe because it’s how I’ve been for years. It’s not like I woke up one day and suddenly stopped caring about the latest fad among the teenage population.”

His friend laughed at that and Wataru glared at the back of his head. Why couldn’t he have a disposition that allowed him some sort of ability that could discourage his friend from teasing him like this? Because awakened or not, the Ouroboros core wasn’t useful at all for something like that.

“Just one condition: I don’t want to know details of your guys’ relationship. If I ask how things are going, just say ‘everything’s fine’ and there’ll be no qualms between us.”

“As long as you provide me with details of your relationship blunders, I reserve right to inform you of all steps of any relationship I get into, no matter who it’s with,” Wataru responded smoothly.

“I guess I have a question about that anyway. I mean, you’ve never seemed like you had any problems with guys liking each other, but you’ve also never given any indication that _you_ liked other guys. Sure, it’s not like you’ve been with a bunch of girls either…”

“Yeah, with the one girlfriend I’ve had,” Wataru interjected.

“Yeah, exactly. But is this something new?”

Wataru did think about it for a bit before shrugging even though Kawamura wasn’t looking at him to see it. “I haven’t thought about it. And I’ve been avoiding thinking about it for weeks. I guess it was never an issue. I either was interested in someone or I wasn’t.” He hesitated before powering through to admit, “And I do like Kazuki. I just didn’t want to see something that wasn’t there, you know.”

“Face it, Wataru: you’re not actually all that great at figuring out how people feel about you. You have this idea in your head that because you don’t think people should pay attention to you that they actually don’t. And you’re wrong most of the time. And most of the time it’s funny, but sometimes it’s kinda sad.”

“You’re a horrible friend,” Wataru shot back for lack of an idea of anything else to say.

“I’m a wonderful friend. I’m the best friend you could ask for, going out of my way to make sure you get all happy and cozy with _the_ Yuichi Kazuki.”

“Well, you did bring it up, so I guess that qualifies as ‘going out of your way.’”

“See? Best friend ever.”

“So, as my best friend, you will let me confide in you if I come to you needing advice with a relationship, no matter who I’m with.”

“I’m not that good of a friend.”

Wataru couldn’t help but laugh at that. Kawamura really could be ridiculous when he wanted, though that was usually when he was trying to get a reaction out of Wataru. Apparently, right now he was going for an ice-breaker between them to move the rest of the way past the seriousness of the conversation.

Wataru was ready to keep messing with Kawamura when his friend suddenly froze in place and started looking around. And because Wataru had spent the past few weeks on guard, he followed the action. Being in a residential area in the middle of the afternoon, there weren’t many people around. In fact, the streets around them were practically empty and that really made Wataru nervous.

This was the perfect opportunity for an Oni to get the jump on him and with Kawamura out of the loop, he had no idea there was even something to worry about.

Wataru should have listened to Yuichi.

But Kawamura was looking around like he knew something was wrong and Wataru wondered if this was to do with another Qilin ability he didn’t know about because he wasn’t one.

Just as Wataru was about to start getting really anxious about what was going on, Kawamura let out a shout as he grabbed onto Wataru’s sleeve and pulled as he dove to the side, both teens falling to the ground. Wataru heard something whistle past where they’d been standing and he turned to see a knife clatter to the ground a few feet off and his breath hitched at the understanding of the danger they were in.

This wasn’t some passive tailing, but an apparent attack against him.

He turned toward where the knife had come from, seeing a man walking casually in their direction, obviously having come from around the corner of the building they had been about to pass.

Wataru’s first thought was along the lines of this being what he imagined an Oni would look like, back before he’d met one. Even if Wataru wasn’t just a little bit under the average height, he would have felt intimidated by this guy’s size. He stood taller than even Kazuki, who was already on the tall side, and he had a burly build, his body thick, arms and legs muscled in a way that truly dwarfed Wataru’s slim limbs and body. He was likely in his mid, maybe late thirties, his dark brown hair cut roughly short as though he did it himself. His eyes were the most unsettling to Wataru, the earthy brown doing nothing to make them anything but cold. This guy didn’t care, not about anything around them, definitely not about the two teens he was approaching casually and had just attacked.

Wataru was moving to stand, pulling his legs close and getting them under him, but he was interrupted by Kawamura grabbing onto his arm to get his attention, Wataru pausing with a knee resting on the ground to support his weight. He looked over to Kawamura in confusion just as his friend positioned himself into a crouch himself and held his hands straight out from his shoulders. A pale white glow surrounded his hands just as he clasped his hands together, fingers intertwined before pulling his hands back apart to just a bit less than shoulder-width. The glow around his hands spread past him, arching around the two of them and settling into an enclosed dome around them, stopping about a foot around them.

Wataru had never seen his friend raise a Qilin barrier, let alone be inside one. He could see why Qilins had such a positive reputation: it was hard to look down on something that just made you feel safe. Even knowing that a Qilin barrier could be broken, that it all came down to the strength of the core, Wataru just felt like things weren’t as dire.

He could see how that relief would be of benefit to someone who could actually fight. That calm could be the difference between victory and death.

“Didn’t know you had a little Qilin buddy,” the Oni spat as he looked past Kawamura to Wataru, his voice as cold as his eyes. This was not a guy that should be messed with, Wataru knew. He then shifted his gaze to Kawamura and gave him a smirk. “You know, I can break through that, so might as well save us both the time and effort and drop it.”

Kawamura didn’t respond, lowering his head a bit and whispering over his shoulder to Wataru. “Don’t touch the barrier. Too much contact from the inside on this kind is a fail-safe, disperses it.”

Wataru glanced behind himself, needing to see how much room he had to work with. He had enough that he wasn’t worried about hitting it on accident.

But that wasn’t the only concern. “Can he break through?”

“I don’t know his disposition so it’s a generic barrier. Easier to get through.”

So, they really were vulnerable. And here Kawamura had no idea why this was even happening. He wasn’t stupid so he likely picked up that it was about Wataru from what the Oni had said, but he didn’t know anything for sure.

And Wataru didn’t know where Kawamura’s limits were. He didn’t know what his friend had learned so far from casual experimentation, because Wataru figured every user experimented before they were trained: people were curious creatures and didn’t leave things alone. It was why there weren’t any laws against users learning how to use their cores before a certain age.

They needed an out and there weren’t many options here.

Wataru moved as subtly as he could, thankful for his position being partially blocked by Kawamura so that he could reach into his pants pocket and pull out his phone without the Oni being any the wiser that it was happening, even as the guy started walking closer to the pair. He had to glance down to look at the screen to select Yuichi’s contact, making the call and hoping that Kazuki wasn’t in a place he couldn’t answer his phone or they’d be truly screwed.

He looked back to the Oni as the man stepped up to the barrier and reached out to press his hand against the glowing dome. Wataru watched as the barrier glowed just a bit brighter at the point of contact and there was a slight reddening of the guy’s hand, like it was becoming inflamed.

Wataru didn’t know barriers could cause damage to someone coming in contact with them and he wondered if it was something Kawamura was controlling.

The hand pulled away and the Oni looked at his hand, not showing any concern or hint of pain. Then, before Wataru could even try to guess at his next move, he pulled his arm back and delivered a solid punch to the barrier, which shifted under the force of the strike before reforming and settling back into place.

What surprised Wataru was the sudden pressure that surrounded him, nearly knocking him off balance from the force pressing down on him. Kawamura’s arms dropped a bit so Wataru knew it wasn’t just him, but it still didn’t explain what the hell had happened.

“Got it,” Kawamura muttered as he regained his position, pulling his arms just a bit closer to himself, the barrier following the motion to put it closer to Kawamura, which Wataru wasn’t happy to see at all. He’d seen how far the dome had collapsed and didn’t want his friend closer to that danger. If the Oni broke through on the next hit, he’d hit Kawamura and Wataru wasn’t going to have his best friend get hurt for him. He didn’t want _anyone_ to get hurt because of him.

He glanced down at his phone to see that Yuichi had picked up, that the call was still connected. “We’re a few blocks west of Kawamura’s place. We just left,” he said in a tone he hoped was low enough to not be picked up clearly by the Oni. The guy looked to be distracted again by looking more carefully at the barrier again. Kawamura looked over his shoulder at hearing him, but likely wasn’t able to see the phone held low and close to his back. He turned back toward the Oni and focused on the task at hand of keeping the barrier up.

Just in time, too, as the Oni pulled back both hands suddenly to strike at the barrier again. And, again, the barrier folded under the force of the attack to the point that Wataru was sure he saw a gap form in the glow, but it did hold and reformed. But there was still that accompanying oppressive force that was strong enough that he had to put his hand down to keep from falling over. Wataru hated that he didn’t know if it was the Oni or Kawamura’s barrier failing that was causing that.

He didn’t get long to think it over, though, as the Oni was recovering for another hit, some sort of charge forming over his hands that Wataru actually saw this time.

But this time wasn’t like the others, as Wataru felt Kawamura tense up in front of him. Just as the Oni’s hands were about to hit the barrier again, Kawamura’s hands shot further apart with the barrier following as it had been all along. It ran into the Oni and effectively knocked him back and over, fading in strength as it spread further out until it just disappeared.

But Kawamura wasn’t finished as his hands immediately glowed with power again, though this time it was a red hue instead of white. And when he clasped his hands together, he held his hands in opposing directions, palms facing straight up and down, and then hooked his fingers together before dropping one hand and lifting the other. The barrier still formed the same around them, but now he held the position with one hand straight out from his face while the other was around his stomach. But the barrier still formed around them, red, just as his hands had glowed, and hopefully something better suited to dealing with this Oni.

The Oni certainly didn’t seem like he was feeling too concerned. In fact, he looked more pissed than anything as he recovered his feet under him and closed the short distance he’d been knocked back. Once he was in reach, he pressed his hand against the barrier and pressed his weight into it, like that would be enough now. His hands immediately got irritated to the point of blistering and he only lasted a few more seconds before he pulled away and glared down at the damage.

It didn’t bother him, just irritated him. Convenient, Wataru thought wryly.

“Ain’t enough, little Qilin.”

He swung again, but the barrier held this time, the red glowing just a bit brighter. There also wasn’t any of that oppressive wave that tried to knock him down. And the Oni was knocked back again, stumbling to keep from falling over.

“He’s a Nova. It’ll take him a bit longer to get through this,” Kawamura whispered absently, like he wasn’t really talking to Wataru but to himself to psych himself up.

Not that what he said did Wataru any good: he didn’t know what a Nova was capable of. It wasn’t one of the common ones that everyone knew about, so he was lost, just like he’d been with the Shade.

Though, he did have the unsettling thought that he did know what Qilin’s were capable of, but he didn’t actually know what _Kawamura_ was capable of. Yes, he knew that how much area a Qilin’s barrier could cover depended on the strength of the user’s core, as well as how long they could hold it. But he had no idea how that translated to what Kawamura could do. Were they really just buying seconds here or was this barrier – obviously meant to protect against where this core was centered, which Wataru did know was a way Qilin’s barriers could work – going to hold until Yuichi arrived or someone noticed the scuffle and called in the U.E.A. or Devas. If he had to guess based on Kawamura, who knew way more than him, he’d say they weren’t looking too good.

If nothing else, this barrier seemed to be more draining for Kawamura to maintain than the basic one, his fingers shaking a bit when Wataru looked closely.

As the Oni basically charged at the barrier to hit it again, being knocked back again and the skin of his hands and forearms splitting and bleeding, Wataru couldn’t help but think about how useless he was. It was his fault this was even happening and he couldn’t do anything about it because what the Oni wanted was a useless dormant core. He was sure if he’d been able to awaken it, he could do _something_. Even he knew Ouroboros were invaluable without being rare and they were that way for a reason.

But he wasn’t a user. He was just the body carrying around something rare and useful to someone besides him. He endangered others while remaining a spectator to the danger because no one would let him get hurt.

A groan coming from Kawamura as the Oni struck the barrier again focused Wataru and he watched sweat bead on his friend’s face from the effort.

No way he was going to let this happen. No one would get hurt because of him, not when he could do something about it.

With the Oni currently regaining his footing and balance from the last blowback, Wataru took his opportunity while hoping Kawamura’s warning about the barrier held now after he’d changed which one he was using.

Shoving his cell phone back into his pocket, he turned around and pressed his hands and shoulder against the barrier, pushing against it with all his strength because it seemed like what he should do. After a few seconds where Kawamura was too distracted by holding the barrier to notice what he was doing, Wataru felt the barrier give around him a bit before it expanded and dispersed around them. He fell forward, his hands catching his weight on the pavement before he recovered and stood to take a few steps away from Kawamura.

“Wataru, what the hell are you doing?” Kawamura yelled at him as the Oni just seemed baffled at what he’d done.

“Are you the one who sent the Shade?” Wataru asked the Oni, taking another step away from Kawamura and the Oni.

Brown eyes blinked away obvious confusion before the Oni smirked at him and crossed his arms, lines of blood smearing along his arms. “Wouldn’t that make this easy on you?”

“I just need to know that nothing will happen to anyone once you guys get what you want from me,” Wataru remained vague mostly out of habit, just as he had when Yuichi had found out. And there was also the chance that this guy didn’t actually know what core he had; he didn’t want to give himself _more_ to worry about. He liked to think he wasn’t completely stupid.

“Like anyone would care about a puny little Qilin, Paladin, and Regen. We can walk down the street and find stronger ones of those by the dozen.”

Wataru had to suppress a shudder at the mention of Karin; these guys would use her against him if they got the chance, but at least only seemed to care when he was actually around. He had no idea how he’d handle it if Karin got hurt, even more so than Kawamura or Yuichi.

But he did sort of wonder why it was only those three and not his parents. Sure, their work schedules made for a difficult target and Wataru only saw them at home, didn’t do anything with them anywhere that Oni could get to them. But they were still his parents. He’d still do anything to see them not get hurt. And they were the only other people who knew about the Ouroboros core.

“Fine. I can’t fight you,” he finally settled on saying, holding his hands a bit out to the side in a show of surrender. “I won’t try.” He probably would at some point soon – he expected he would without meaning to – but that would be when his friends and family were far away. Anyway, he was pretty sure that this guy was a muscle and not the one to really worry about. This was just another hired hand, like the Shade had been and he figured working from the top of this was the way he needed to go if he wanted to not deal with the Oni anymore.

“Wataru!” Kawamura snapped out at him, definitely upset that he was just handing himself over to an Oni.

“I’ll take it!” the Oni laughed, then widened his stance and pulled back one of his arms. “But I’ll take you unconscious just to be safe.”

Without the glow of a barrier distorting Wataru’s vision, he was able to see power rippling around the Oni’s arm. He took an instinctive step away as he felt the air around him shifting, seeming to become heavier just before the Oni swung his arm in an arc across his body at Wataru. He was still a few feet away, but just after his arm finished its pass, Wataru was struck across the chest with a heavy blow from seemingly nothing. It was strong enough to knock the breath out of him and send him flying back off his feet.

He was getting ready for landing, the impact with the ground likely to daze him if not knock him out from the angle he was falling back at meaning his head would be one of the first things to hit the concrete. But just as his momentum was about to really head down instead of back, he was grabbed around the waist and shoulders and spun around, which was about as disorienting as hitting the ground would have been, just not as painful. His feet and knees hit the ground, dragging a bit from his continued momentum, but the grip on him was secure and kept much of his weight held up and against a firm body.

When they slid to a stop, he was kneeling once again, but this time instead of a Qilin barrier, he was surrounded by the feel of a man’s body, though he felt just as protected. And he didn’t need to look to know it was Yuichi who was kneeling behind Wataru, his arms still holding onto him tightly to keep him safe, the height he had over Wataru meaning he could cover him completely even from that position.

“Kazuki,” Wataru whispered, partially from the breath still somewhat knocked out of him from the Oni’s strike but mostly from the feel of Yuichi pressed against him making it difficult to breath or think.

He really didn’t need this level of distraction when the Oni was still right behind them and likely just about ready to get over being denied what he wanted again.

But Yuichi obviously wasn’t distracted like he was, because he called out, “Ishida!”

Just after Yuichi’s call to Kawamura, Wataru felt the barrier pass over him to form just after Yuichi had called to his friend. He must have already been moving toward them, even being closer to where Wataru had been thrown.

He looked over to where Kawamura had stepped between the Oni and Wataru and Yuichi, standing with his hands held out again as they had been with the second barrier.

And if Yuichi would ease up his grip, Wataru would have tried to break this barrier as well. Just because Yuichi had shown up didn’t mean that they were any better off against the Oni. Wataru would keep the people he loved safe in the only way he knew how.

But Yuichi seemed to pick up on that much, because even as he turned so the two of them were more directly facing the threat, he kept his arms securely around Wataru so he couldn’t make another break.

“Kazuki, let me go,” Wataru ordered. He seemed to be saying that a lot lately.

“Are you going to do something stupid if I do?” Yuichi responded as the Oni let out a frustrated growl.

“I wasn’t doing something stupid to begin with. You just have control issues.”

“Maybe save the spat for later,” Kawamura suggested, already sounding strained and Wataru was even more worried about how much longer he could hold out.

Yuichi stood then, pulling Wataru with him and with their difference in height, the hold he had around Wataru’s waist meant he nearly lifted him off the ground. Not that it would have been a burden for him to do so; increased physical strength when tapped into the power of their core was a trademark for Paladins. And the way Yuichi had easily caught and maneuvered Wataru when he was airborne was enough indication that he was without a doubt accessing his core now.

After taking a step closer to Kawamura, Yuichi finally relaxed his grip a little, Wataru able to stand on his own though it wasn’t enough to move away. He was still being positioned between Yuichi and Kawamura, the two practically a second shield inside the Qilin barrier. Wataru was about to try and negotiate some freedom, but Kazuki started whispering to Kawamura.

“Please tell me you know how to seal. It doesn’t need to be for long, but Novas are hell to deal with, even for a Paladin,” he said.

“My core’s almost dry. I wouldn’t have enough power for a permanent seal, even if I knew them. But I’ve practiced some of the temporary ones, even successfully a few times.”

“How long can you manage?”

Kawamura thought for a second. “Maybe ten minutes if I put everything I have into it. But if I do that, I won’t have anything left for putting up a barrier. You both will be vulnerable if he decides to keep swinging.”

“I can handle him swinging at me. I can’t handle him being able to knock me down with heavy air. And he’s obviously talented as well as powerful. That’s dangerous in a Nova.”

“I know. You’ll have to get him to where I can make contact for the seal.”

“I’ll give you an opportunity, so keep your eyes open for it. And, Wataru, stay near Ishida. If the Oni notices you getting too far away, he can just go for you and there’s only so much we can do here. Giving yourself up to the Oni to protect us isn’t an option, so stop trying. If you let us work, we’ll handle him. But if we’re worried about you doing something stupid, we’re going to fail.”

Wataru looked up and over his shoulder, ready to object to Yuichi’s demands. At least, that’s how they felt to him. But then he saw the expression on Yuichi’s face and he couldn’t say anything: there was worry but he was intent, or rather intense.

This was a Paladin at work and for the first time Wataru had the thought that it wasn’t just a hyped reputation. He actually felt that Yuichi could handle any fight that came his way, especially if it meant protecting Wataru.

So, he nodded acceptance instead of arguing, with every intention of doing what he was told. Maybe one day he’d have what it took to fight on his own, but right now he needed help.

Finally, Yuichi let his grip go lax, pulling his arms from across Wataru’s chest and waist, though they did stay on his shoulder and lower back, likely to remain in contact as long as he was close so he could sense any threat.

“He’s building up power. Drop the barrier just after he hits," Yuichi instructed.

“Goddamn irritating children!” the Oni accused as he charged forward while Yuichi was talking and swung in a now-familiar arc against the barrier. He was looking thoroughly pissed off now, the arrogant control he’d shown so far nearly gone as he went back to trying to break the barrier. Wataru was worried that the loss of composure meant that whatever Kawamura and Yuichi had just planned out wouldn’t work now, that this would mean the last of Kawamura’s strength, but the barrier held through the strike with Kawamura not outwardly showing signs of strain.

Then the barrier was gone while the Oni was still finishing the motion of his blow and he stumbled forward as Kawamura pushed Wataru backwards while Yuichi stepped around them and delivered a strike of his own, using both hands to grab hold of either side of the man’s head and pulling him down to hit him right on the bridge of the nose with his knee, the Oni stumbling back with a pained grunt.

Yuichi didn’t ease up though. Right away, he was moving in again for another punch that the Oni barely managed to block as he tried to regain his balance while keeping from taking another hit. And then it was just a wave of Yuichi keeping up his own assault and making sure the Oni didn’t have a chance to recover enough to get his bearings and hit back.

Kawamura, meanwhile, was guiding Wataru a bit further away even as he seemed to be focusing his core’s power, a thin black film covering his right hand. He was watching the two fighting carefully, though Wataru wasn’t sure what exactly he needed: he figured the Oni being distracted by trying to not get hit was enough. But he knew better to ask right now, knew that both his friends needed to be focused on what they were doing if this was going to work.

He figured out what it was anyway, about two minutes later when Yuichi managed to get through the Oni’s guard and land a few solid hits to his face, dizzying the man enough for him to stumble to his knees. Kawamura was moving in even before the last blow connected, running towards the Oni and reaching out to press his hand against the man’s nearby cheek. The blackness surrounding Kawamura’s hand looked as though it was absorbed into the Oni’s skin, darkening his face a bit before the discoloration spread out to cover his entire body, then faded beneath the collar and sleeves of his shirt and he sagged to the ground, not unconscious but seemingly drained.

Yuichi closed the short distance between them, rolling the Oni over to his stomach before securing the man’s hands behind his back and kneeling on his back to hold him in place.

He then looked to Wataru, his eyes making a thorough sweep over the other teen before nodding acceptance of what he saw.

“Kawamura, you’re going to have to stay here since you placed the seal. But, Wataru, if you don’t want anything to get out, you need to head back.” Yuichi gave instructions with a tense voice, not tense from fatigue but from emotion. Wataru figured he still didn’t think Wataru was right to want to hide what was going on now that they had proof that the Oni were going to keep coming after him. “Head home. The protection around your house is likely better than Kawamura’s so you’ll be safest there. We’ll be there once we’re released.”

“What do you mean ‘released?’” Wataru asked, sounding a bit tired. It was like the fight was gone from him now. He was resigned to what was going to happen.

“I called the U.E.A. just after you told me where you were. We need them to take the Oni into custody. I would have called the Devas, but it would take them a bit longer to get here; emergency detaining like this isn’t their strong suit. But we’ll need to at least tell them something as to why a couple of teenagers suddenly had to deal with an Oni.”

“What are you gonna tell them?” Wataru couldn’t help but ask that.

“Luckily, there are enough Oni that go around attacking innocent civilians to go with that explanation. We’ll tell the truth but leave you out of it. Give Ishida your phone and take his, just in case they ask to see that he made the call to me. We’ll meet you at your house once we’re finished here; use that time to figure out what you want to do.”

Wataru reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, looking down at it as he walked over to Kawamura. He couldn’t bring himself to look at his friend as he held it out and then took the phone that was handed to him, wanting to say something but afraid that nothing he said would matter.

But he had to say something. Kawamura deserved it.

“I’m sorry for not telling you. I just…couldn’t.”

He finished in a whisper, turning away to walk home, hoping that once he got out of the emptier residential area, the crowds of the weekend would protect him from anything else happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed.  
> See you next time.


	7. What If...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fallout of the Oni's attack and a confession...

Karin was gone when Wataru got home. He hadn’t asked her what her plans for the day were, so he had no idea where she was. He’d have to make sure he texted her as soon as he got his phone back to ensure she was alright. He would text her from Kawamura’s phone, but he wasn’t planning on telling her that he’d been attacked and using someone else’s phone to get in touch with her would make her suspicious.

He was also getting increasingly more anxious as time went on and he didn’t hear anything from Yuichi or Kawamura. Sure, it had only been about half an hour since he left them on the sidewalk with Yuichi restraining the Oni, but plenty could have happened in that time and he was worried enough to be coming up with options.

As it was, he was pacing the length of the living room and kitchen. He wasn’t usually one to pace, but every time he tried to sit and calm himself down, he’d just start jittering after a minute until he got irritated with himself and had to stand again.

It was frustrating to say the least.

That wasn’t to say he didn’t know why he was so keyed up. Part of the problem was that he knew that something was going to change for him now, and it would be a much bigger change than having a Paladin following him around. Not only was he going to have to tell Kawamura about the Ouroboros core, but the Oni were obviously not going to stop coming after him. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to deal with that.

He could just give himself up, like he’d tried to do today. And, honestly, knowing himself, that would always be an option. He knew that he wouldn’t let other people get hurt or worse for his sake. He wasn’t worth that much.

He could also turn himself into the Devas and their protective custody. He’d likely be moved since the Oni were already a threat to him here, maybe he’d have his name changed. But he wouldn’t have to worry about the people he cared about getting hurt. The Oni would have nothing to gain by going after them if he wasn’t around and they had to know that.

But today had proven that Wataru would give himself up to protect the people he cared about. Even he hadn’t known that about himself. The last time he’d been faced with a situation that held risk – being Entrusted the core – he’d wanted to run away from it. He’d done everything he could to avoid that burden.

And it wasn’t like he was known for grand acts of altruism. While he didn’t go around degrading people, he didn’t show compassion to people he didn’t care about. He practically ignored everyone at school because he couldn’t stand them, hated how fake many of them were. So, he came across as cold and uncaring. It wasn’t completely true, he knew, but he wouldn’t have guessed he would have made the sacrifice act so easily.

But what else could he have done?

He’d known Kawamura was running out of power and the Oni would have broken through the Qilin barrier before Yuichi had arrived. Sure, he hadn’t known for sure that Yuichi wouldn’t have arrived in time and was mostly working off hindsight, but there had been little hope all along that Yuichi was going to show up at all. Besides, he didn’t know if having a barrier broken did anything to the user, but Wataru did know that the user lost consciousness if they ran below a certain level of power, somewhere in the low single digit percentile. And he wouldn’t assume that the Oni would have just left his friend alone once the barrier fell. He might have killed Kawamura just on principle.

Novas were tough, too. Wataru knew that for sure now, having looked them up as soon as he was through the door and had sent a text to Yuichi to let him know that he’d gotten home. The disposition allowed the user to affect density of objects, able to make them heavier or lighter as long as their power was applied. The really talented ones could even affect the air molecules, which was what earned them their name, that it was almost like some of them could control gravity, even though that wasn’t really what was happening.

But it did explain what Wataru had experienced and he felt Yuichi had been lucky to win the fight. Hell, he’d been lucky he hadn’t gotten anything broken in the short amount of time he wasn’t behind a barrier.

Wataru was pretty sure this Nova wasn’t the one calling the shots against him. Something about the guy just seemed too _off_ for that to be the case. He felt like someone who got things done, which left Wataru worrying about if this guy was a first line or just one of the stronger options the Oni targeting Wataru had to work with.

He just _didn’t know_ and that was frustrating.

And this Oni was going into the custody of the User Enforcement Agency, if not the Devas. All he had to do was tell the truth and Wataru would at least be investigated for having an Ouroboros core. It was one thing to reveal himself to the Devas, but to be given up by an Oni made it so different.

He trusted Yuichi and Kawamura to not say anything: Yuichi had proven he could keep a secret and Kawamura didn’t actually know anything to tell in addition to being trustworthy. He could tell the truth and Wataru would be fine.

Not for the first time – today let alone since he’d had to tell Yuichi about his core – he wondered why he was so adamant that nobody knows even for his own good. Yes, he was a really stubborn person, but that only went so far. So did habit, which only came into play greatly when he was actually talking about cores and users. But just the thought of having it become an identifying part of his life made his breath catch and he just felt wrong. It wasn’t who he was, but it might as well be.

He was about to continue his circular thought process when the doorbell sounded, making him startle, and he just stood there in the middle of the room and stared at the door. After a few seconds of silence, the familiar voice of Yuichi calling his name made him release a heavy sigh of relief and he moved quickly to the door. He did stop long enough to check first, looking to through a small gap on the side of the curtain covering the window to the right of the door to make sure he saw Yuichi and Kawamura on the other side and then eagerly unlocking the door for them to enter.

The two of them stepped in, coming in far enough that Wataru could close and lock the door behind them as they took off their shoes, then made their way into the room.

Wataru hovered around the door, wanting to go make sure his friends were in the same shape he left them in, but unable to bring himself to actually walk closer to either of them. What if they were mad at him? Or disappointed? What if Kawamura didn’t want to be friends with him anymore because of how he’d lied to him for nearly as long as they’d known each other? What if Yuichi decided that he really wasn’t worth this trouble?

He had all these questions flying through his head, but all he could do was stand there, his gaze dropping to the floor in front of him.

He listened as the two other teens moved, and he saw Kawamura turn toward him from his peripherals, but that’s all.

But just as he was really about to start freaking out, Kawamura laughed. Nothing else but a genuine laugh, like he did when he was about to tease Wataru about something. And that definitely wasn’t what Wataru was expecting to hear and so he looked up to his best friend.

“I can hear you freaking out, Wataru,” he said through his laughs. “We’re alright. We would have texted or called if we weren’t.”

“Ishida,” Yuichi interrupted but Kawamura just waved him off.

“Yeah, I know. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve used up most of my power. Karin keeps the Fujii kitchen stocked, especially with food that can be made up easy or she knows Wataru wouldn’t eat. He’s not useless in the kitchen, just doesn’t like to spend time in one. That just means it’s a prime spot for raiding.”

Kawamura walked past Yuichi toward the kitchen, moving around the house in the same familiar manner as he usually did. While Wataru went over to his house more often than him going to the Fujii’s, he was still there often enough that he was comfortable there. At least that hadn’t changed.

But that did mean that it was just Wataru and Yuichi now in the living room and the younger teen thought that it might just be a little more awkward now. Things were normally just a bit charged between them without a random Oni attack making it worse.

Taking in a deep breath to try and settle himself down as much as he could manage, Wataru stepped back into the living room and toward Yuichi, stopping a comfortable few meters away.

Yuichi watched him, his expression irritatingly blank so that Wataru couldn’t gauge his response. But he didn’t think Yuichi was mad; the few times Yuichi had been genuinely irritated or angry, there was a tightness to his eyes and mouth that Wataru couldn’t see now. Instead, he just wasn’t giving anything away.

After a short silence, Yuichi gave a slight shake of his head before he stepped a little closer to Wataru and reached his hand out, letting it hover between the two of them.

“May I?” he asked and Wataru was a bit confused. Then he remembered the whole ability to sense danger while in physical contact and he figured Yuichi was probably a bit paranoid now.

So, he muttered a quiet “Yeah,” and watched as Yuichi’s hand lifted to brush his fingers against Wataru’s face instead of his hand or arm like he had a few times between the day finding the mark and now.

Yuichi stepped in just a bit closer so he could rest his hand against Wataru’s cheek, a little closer than was necessary to do so and Wataru couldn’t help but look up and make eye contact. It was a pretty deliberate move, like Yuichi was claiming the space so close to Wataru and he didn’t know how he felt about that.

Wataru guessed he wasn’t completely…opposed. It just meant that now he _really_ didn’t know what to do or say.

“Kazuki?” he managed, wishing he could have managed to make his voice just a bit stronger.

“You really are an idiot, Wataru,” Yuichi responded, his voice not able to remain as passive as his expression.

Wataru frowned as he shot back, “Stop calling me an idiot.”

“Stop doing things that give me a reason to.”

 “I didn’t do anything different today than I’ve done in the past few weeks. How was I supposed to know that today was when a random Oni would decide to attack?”

“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. Whatever made you think that giving yourself to an Oni was a good idea? Why would you do that?”

“I was thinking I didn’t want my best friend dying to keep a barrier up and be between me and the Oni. Last time I checked, it was still my life to decide what to do with. And don’t even try to make me feel guilty about it. I’d do it again if I had to.”

Wataru felt the fingers on his cheek tense up a bit. “You want to die?”

“Of course not. But I don’t want to see you die more!” His voice had risen as he spoke and he was nearly at a shout by the end. The strength of his emotions was the only way he could have gotten that out like he had. And based on how Yuichi’s expression finally caved and showed some surprise, it hadn’t been something he expected to hear. He really wanted to try and backpedal himself out of that embarrassment before he realized that nothing he said now would actually take back him revealing that.

He also decided that he didn’t really want to take it back. What did it hurt for Yuichi to know that Wataru cared about him? Hadn’t he already admitted many times that he cared about Wataru, that the reason he could sense threats toward Wataru was because he cared about him?

More than anything, Wataru was tired. He didn’t want to make a fight where it didn’t need to happen, not when he was literally the reason people he cared about were fighting. There was no point.

So, he just took in a deep breath to try and calm himself a little bit more, covered Yuichi’s hand with his own, and let himself be honest.

“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be a victim of the Oni; I’ve seen enough reports and stories about what they do to people. I don’t want to let my grandfather down by letting his core end up with the Oni when he entrusted it to me. But, more than all of that, I don’t want the people I care about to get hurt or killed because they’re protecting me. The Nova mentioned Karin, so them using her against me is a possibility; she’s my sister and I can’t stand the thought of letting her down. Kawamura has been my best friend for more than half my life.” His throat closed off and he had to take in another shaky, emotional breath.

Yuichi gave him a few seconds before he took another small step closer. “And me?”

“I can’t,” was all Wataru managed.

Yuichi’s other hand lifted to Wataru’s other cheek and he urged Wataru to look up at him, which Wataru did hesitantly. But once his gaze met with Yuichi’s green eyes, he felt a bit more confident, which he really hadn’t expected.

Being around Yuichi always meant a whirlwind of emotions for Wataru. For someone who was usually pretty laid back and disconnected, that was different and Wataru still didn’t have a handle on dealing with it.

But that’s not what happened right now. With his emotions already in an upheaval, it was like Yuichi was becoming the calm in the storm. He was the constant while everything else fell apart around Wataru.

How did he get to be that to Wataru in such a relatively short amount of time together?

“Wataru?” Yuichi called to him.

“Yeah?”

“Do you love me?”

“…Maybe. I think so.”

It might have been the slightest bit of a lie, though more an understatement. And Wataru would be honest if asked that he’d never been in love so he had nothing to compare his feelings to and be able to answer for sure. But it didn’t seem to be any less what Yuichi wanted to hear because he gave Wataru such a fond and content smile that Wataru felt his heartbeat increase.

“That’s good. Because I know I love you.”

Yuichi’s response was given with the same confidence that he always had, but the tone was also full of the emotions reflected in his gaze. Yuichi moved closer, and Wataru expected to be kissed, and he was, but Yuichi’s lips moved toward his forehead instead of his mouth, resting against his skin as he took a half step closer to stand nearly against Wataru. And it took Wataru a few seconds of just feeling Yuichi against him, feeling the warmth of his body and smelling the clean scent of his clothes and skin, then he lifted his other hand and rested it against Yuichi’s chest, moving it to be positioned over his heart so he could feel the rhythmic beating. And he felt some relief at the quick pace it was at, that he wasn’t the only one anxious about this.

But Wataru’s brain wouldn’t stay quiet for long, not in the shape he was in, not with how the day had gone and how his thoughts were already primed to question everything right now.

“Why ask now? It’s not the best time,” he said, his voice remaining low because he didn’t actually want Yuichi to pull away.

And Yuichi did move, but just to rest his forehead against Wataru’s instead of his lips. “I thought it was the perfect time. You were being uncharacteristically open and honest so I figured I should take advantage and get all the answers I could manage. And it’s not like I asked as soon as Ishida put the barrier around us.”

“No, just waited until he was one room away.”

Yuichi let out a slight laugh, which turned into a sigh quickly.

“The worst question is one not asked. And love only hurts when it’s left alone. Without being able to form an affinity with you, I didn’t want to hurt more because I didn’t find out for sure. I didn’t plan on it happening like this, but you take what you can get.”

“Since when?” Wataru found himself asking. He really did want to wait until they were alone to talk about this, but this was something he decided it wouldn’t hurt to find out now.

“I always thought you were interesting, different. Since the first day we worked together, I couldn’t help but feel like being a bit more myself when I was around you. I was fine to be comfortable around you while it lasted. But then I saw you smile. Did you know your whole face lights up when you smile? You actually look your age, when the rest of the time it seems like such a chore for you to be around other students your age. Your expression softens and you’re just…you’re beautiful, Wataru. You’re beautiful all the time, but when you smile, it makes all the difference in the world. I fell in love with your smile and then everything that you are just lets me love you all the more.”

Wataru knew that he was blushing from the barrage of compliments and being called “beautiful.”

“No one’s ever called me ‘beautiful,’” he said. He didn’t necessarily mind – after all the times Kawamura called him “cute” to get on his nerves while somewhat meaning what he said, it was a bit of a relief – but he also wasn’t sure how to react.

“Good. I don’t want them to,” Yuichi responded a bit shortly and Wataru figured he should have guessed Yuichi would be the jealous type. He may not be the overbearing type, but he was protective and Wataru would have to make sure it didn’t get too intense.

He figured it was as good a time as any to back them off this conversation that should be happening when they had some real privacy instead of Kawamura likely waiting for a good time to return to the room. So, he pushed against Yuichi’s chest a bit to get the message across that he should get some distance. Yuichi didn’t comply right away, his hand again tensing on Wataru’s cheek before he did take a step back. He stayed close, though, letting his hands slide from Wataru’s face down his neck to his shoulders, then his left trailed down his arm to take his hand while his right relaxed at his side.

Wataru figured it was the best he was going to get right now – between the admissions of both of them and the attack on him just barely an hour ago, he didn’t expect much give from Yuichi – and he didn’t mind the continued contact. Kawamura had already said he didn’t care about them together so he knew it wouldn’t be an issue, just something his friend might not be completely comfortable seeing.

But they needed to talk about what happened. Wataru needed to know what was going to happen now.

“So, about the Oni. And the U.E.A,” he began haltingly. Yuichi got serious again immediately. “You said Devas aren’t the ones to call for an emergency attack like today.”

“Yeah, they don’t have the numbers to be answering every emergency call that involves users.”

“Will they be called in because of anything that happened today?” Wataru figured the U.E.A. was the softer of two hard places he was stuck between dealing with. The agency wasn’t as strict as the Devas; they were more local law enforcement than big picture defenses.

“It’s possible. The agents that came to secure the Oni didn’t seem to buy that we didn’t know why he attacked.”

“What if the Nova tells them?”

“It won’t do him any good. The Oni have to know that you aren’t officially protected and that allows them a lot of freedom to operate against you. I doubt the Nova would risk that for a chance at a deal.”

“We were lucky there didn’t seem to be any other witnesses to the attack,” Kawamura said as he walked back into the room, looking content and much more aware than he’d been when he walked into the house. He was recovering from using so much power and that was a relief. Kawamura’s demeanor changed, the serious look he took on was nearly unrecognizable to Wataru. “Kazuki said it wasn’t his place to tell me what the hell happened, that I need to ask you about it. I know I can figure at least part of it out on my own and save you the trouble.

“So, you’ve got a core. That’s obvious enough since Oni only care about cores. Them coming after you like this also means it’s probably on the uncommon and more powerful side of the spectrum. But, considering affinities can’t form with you, it has to be dormant. Right so far?”

“Yeah,” Wataru muttered back.

Kawamura spent so much of his time messing around that Wataru did sometimes forget that he was actually not bad about working through things. He may not be the smartest person in the room, but he was smart enough to get by in the world; he and Wataru were a lot alike in that regard and it was part of why they’d always gotten along so well.

“Obviously Kazuki knows about it and has for a while. I figure that’s part of the reason you’ve been hanging out so much lately. He is a Paladin after all, and you don’t really get better protection than that. Does your sister know?”

“Yeah, and my parents. That’s it.”

Kawamura gave an impressed whistle. “You need to market those secret-keeping techniques you’re using. There are plenty of people out there who wouldn’t mind being able to hide having a core that well.”

“Dormant cores can’t be sensed like active ones so I don’t get noticed in core evaluations or scans.”

“You’d think someone would figure that part of finding cores out by now. It would be helpful for people to know early on whether or not they’ve got a core nestled inside them waiting to awaken.” That was the joking tone Wataru was much more accustomed to, though it passed right away. “What is it and how do you know you have it if the core is dormant? I mean, I know some people have a feel for a core being there before it awakens, but I just don’t think that’s the case here. You’re too careful for that to be it.”

“It was entrusted to me. It hasn’t awakened since the transfer.”

“Whose was it?”

“My grandfather’s. The one that passed away about a year after we met. He did it himself.”

It took a few seconds for that meaning to really sink in with Kawamura and his jaw went slack at the realization. “Holy shit, you’re an Ouroboros! No disposition has better control over other cores than you guys. You can sense, seal, remove any seal, and transfer cores. Other dispositions that interact with cores can only do one or two of those things each and there’s no other disposition that can actually move a core intact from one person to another.”

Wataru interrupted the excited and awed ramblings of his friend, “No, my grandfather was an Ouroboros. I’m just his failed hope at letting his core be useful after his death. I can’t do anything with it because it’s dormant. I’m not a user.”

Wataru said that purposefully, hoping Kawamura recognized what he’d been told countless times throughout their friendship. Kawamura didn’t disappoint and he focused back in from his excited tangent.

 “I guess the ease of the lie is in its simplicity and official truth. No wonder I never thought you, who I’ve never known to pull off a lie, was able to keep this secret. In the strictest sense of the definition, you’re not a user, not with a dormant core.”

And there was the hurt Wataru was expecting from Kawamura. Because no matter what spin he put on things, no matter what he told himself to keep from feeling guilty, he’d lied to his best friend for about six years. There were so many people out there whose best friend would have been the first they told something like this, maybe before telling even their family and here he had made it a point to not tell Kawamura. He’d never planned on telling Kawamura. Even if the core had awakened, Wataru would have tried to keep it secret.

And even after everything that had happened now with the Oni – or perhaps, especially because – he was confident that hadn’t changed. He would still try to hide his core from being known. With the core being uncentered, it would be easier. And he was getting to the age where they didn’t check as often.

Wataru looked down to the floor in front of him as guilt welled up inside him. He felt the hand hold his squeeze tightly before loosening again, a brief show of support before he was on his own again.

“Kawamura, I’m sorry I lied to you. It’s just…it was always easier for people not to know. I didn’t have to spend any time wondering if they’d slip up. And it was dormant, so what difference did it actually make? I’ve never wanted to be a user. It was something that was always there even before I was entrusted and telling my grandfather that only made him all the more certain that he wanted me to have it. He told me that only the unwilling really appreciates the responsibility. I was his only choice and, in the end, I couldn’t find reason enough to actually tell him no.”

Kawamura rolled his eyes then, Wataru frowning in confusion at that reaction. “People generally don’t get a choice in accepting an entrusted core. It’s literally the only thing about dealings with cores that we’re required to accept.” It was one of the few “old school” rules associated with cores: not many people actually decided to entrust their cores so when they did, it had to be accepted. The only exception was if the recipient literally couldn’t receive it because they already had a core taking up that particular center.

Wataru would swear that the only person who took entrusting lightly was his grandfather.

“You know, I get it,” Kawamura continued. “You’d go crazy under the watch of the Devas. You’re better off in Kazuki’s hands.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but he’s better off than he was,” Yuichi said before Wataru could respond. “I don’t actually agree that he should continue to keep this secret, not now that he’s been attacked twice by Oni. And between what the Shade said and how the Nova attacked, there’s an organized effort behind all this. It’s not going to stop just because they failed today.”

“Yeah, they’re likely to get more daring the more times they lose. Oni are known to be terrible losers.”

Wataru frowned, wanting to cross his arms but his hand was still held by Kazuki so he couldn’t. “Stop talking like I’m not here.”

“Feel free to speak up anytime. We’re not stopping you.”

Since when did Kawamura pull these kinds of shifts in mood? Because Wataru decided it could not become a thing. Maybe it was his way of dealing with a stressful situation; as far as Wataru knew, Kawamura had never had to deal with an Oni so he didn’t know if this was just how his friend would deal with this.

“Well, you guys said you weren’t sure if the U.E.A. agents bought the story you gave them.” Wataru figured the best thing to do would be to keep them on track. He wanted to figure things out before he had to worry about Karin or his parents coming home; he really didn’t want to tell any of them what had happened.

“No, they didn’t look completely convinced,” Kawamura responded. “I think if they didn’t have to worry about the seal wearing off of the Nova, they would have kept us there longer. As it is, we should be expecting to hear from them again within the next few days.”

 “What exactly did you tell them?”

“We just removed you from the story. The Nova attacked me, I was able to fend him off with my barriers until Kazuki showed up and distracted him until I got the opportunity to seal him. We have no idea why we were attacked and the Oni wouldn’t say.”

“It’s not unheard of for Oni to make a statement by attacking civilians for no reason. It’s actually how most Oni earn their designation, by pulling a stunt like that. And breaking through a Qilin barrier actually is an impressive feat, even one without official training like Ishida. I gave the implication that he has barriers solid enough to be a challenge and with him nearly drained of power, they couldn’t ask for a demonstration to fact-check my claims.”

“Makes it sound like my barriers are substandard. Held off a Nova well enough,” Kawamura muttered crossly and Wataru had to hold back a grin.

“What about that do you think they didn’t believe?” Wataru tried to keep them focused.

“We’re not even sure they actually doubted us,” Yuichi answered. “It could just be how those agents treat everyone and we’re paranoid because we were actually hiding something from them.”

“What do we do if they do come asking about what happened and call us out on lying? I can’t imagine them being too fond of that sort of thing.”

Wataru considered Kawamura asking what he’d been thinking about since he’d gotten home.

“Even if they learn about Wataru’s involvement, that doesn’t actually change that his core is dormant. If he wanted, he can still stick to his officially true declaration and anything they did to check him would support his statement.”

Kawamura gave Yuichi a disbelieving look. “You’re talking about purposefully deceiving the User Enforcement Agency, possibly the Devas, for the sake of keeping Wataru’s possession of an Ouroboros core secret. You do realize he already likes you so you don’t need to impress him with some noble act, right?”

If Kawamura had been within reach, Wataru was sure he would hit his friend for that. The slight smirk Kawamura sent toward Wataru told him he was aware of that.

Yuichi was giving Kawamura an amused look. “You underestimate me if you believe that is all I can manage for noble acts meant to appeal to Wataru. Besides, I don’t think he actually appreciates things like that if his breaking your barrier from the inside is anything to go by. What I am trying to do is make a plan for us that is the best course of action. That doesn’t always mean going to the Devas.”

“Right, because the organization that was created for the sole purpose of combating Oni, that has spent the past few hundred years fighting Oni, is obviously the wrong choice of people to turn to when you’ve got problems with Oni.”

“I’m not saying the Devas are a wrong choice, just not automatically the best.”

“They may be the organization that fights the Oni exclusively, but they’re also the organization that has had the least change in policy and operations in the time they’ve been around.” Wataru couldn’t help but add a bit of his own cynicism towards the Devas since the topic was open.

“The saying of not fixing something that isn’t broken exists for a reason,” Kawamura retorted, used to this conversation. “Your grandfather worked with the Devas.” That wasn’t something he brought up often.

“Yeah, he was a Deva for nearly sixty years, working with them flawlessly, successfully helping take down countless Oni while using his ability to transfer cores to see people’s last wishes with their cores through. But despite that, the Devas wouldn’t even look at my dad because he’s a Chimera. He even asked my grandfather to seal one of his cores, but they said they’d still refuse him. They refuse to see anything different in the world, that we understand cores better now than when they were first founded. Tradition and sentimentality only get you so far before it gets in the way.”

“So, what does that have to do with you now?”

Wataru glanced up to Yuichi, who was watching him carefully but obviously wasn’t going to get involved. He was likely just as anxious to hear an answer.

“What if they call me an Oni because of how I got the core?” The two other teens were definitely shocked by that statement. “What my grandfather did is against the rules. Oni get that title by going against the rules. Sure, nobody got hurt here, but that’s not always the case. And they might feel the need to respect that I was entrusted the core, but that doesn’t mean they won’t see it as anything but trouble.”

“They might decide to seal the core, dormant or not,” Yuichi mused. “It’s worst case scenario, but not beyond possible.”

“A dormant core can awaken. Then I am a user with an Ouroboros core that I was given outside of the official procedure. And since I’m already being attacked by Oni, they might decide to take care of the problem before it becomes one and not let any Oni get their hands on an Ouroboros. A sealed core can be less than a dormant one, it can even fade away depending on the disposition that does the job. And the Devas tend to like permanent solutions.”

“Wataru…” Kawamura started saying before Yuichi moved to stand right in front of Wataru again, black eyes lifting to lock gazes.

“Your worst-case scenario is definitely that. But, I don’t think you’re giving enough credit to people you’ve never had contact with. Yes, Devas can be a bit old fashioned, but they aren’t beyond change. A lot of the change that happens with them, we don’t see because it’s not the public’s business to see. I understand your hesitation, but I also don’t want you to make a stubborn decision because you don’t try to see anything past the worst possibility.”

Wataru frowned a bit and asked, “What are you asking me to do, Kazuki?”

“Just give me a chance and trust that I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Wataru didn’t hesitate at all to say, “I do trust that. You still haven’t answered me, though.”

“I have a way to find out their response without giving you away. If I do this right, we can take care of everything quietly, without telling anyone else about your core. We can allow you to keep your usual life.”

“What sort of connection could allow that?” Kawamura interrupted before Wataru could ask basically the same thing.

Yuichi let out a sigh and Wataru felt him tense. “I know someone with authority in the Devas. I talk to him and get answers without giving him anything to connect to you. He’ll be hearing about my involvement today anyway, so this will just beat him to the questioning.”

Wataru thought it over for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of his own as his gaze dropped. “You promise he won’t know about me unless I say so?”

“I promise, Wataru. I don’t want him knowing about you as long as I can help it.”

Wataru felt there was more to it than Yuichi respecting his desire to keep his secret but decided to let it go for the moment.

“Fine, we start there.”

“And we start where you aren’t allowed to go anywhere without one of us around,” Kawamura interjected again. “I don’t care what you think about us watching out for you; it’s going to happen and we aren’t letting what happened today happen again. At least, not unless we can use it to get to the bottom of this Oni issue.”

Wataru rolled his eyes as he looked past Kazuki to his friend. “You’re worse than the Paladin.”

“Of course. I’m a Qilin and Paladins can’t compete with our instinct to protect just because they can fight better than us.”

Great, the two people he was closest to were apparently competitively protective over him because their dispositions said so.

He might risk taking his chances with the Oni if that got as bad as he figured it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the one thing besides characterization that I felt needed to closely reflect the manga/novel was their initial real confessions. Yeah, there's some difference because of the difference in the progression of their relationship but it still fit well enough to keep the format. :)  
> Thanks for reading. See you next time.


	8. The Deva's Approach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have to be willing to ask...

For the next two days it was like nothing had happened. Wataru had ended up staying home Sunday, mostly spending time with his parents and Karin and struggling with himself about how sure he was that he shouldn’t tell them what was going on. After all, they were his family and deserved to know that he was in danger like he was. But then he’d remember how his parents had all but locked him in his room just after he was entrusted the core and figured they wouldn’t be able to remain calm and objective about what he was dealing with.

He loved his parents and they loved him. But they were both worked very hard for him and Karin and the amount of time they spent at work meant they were always out of practice on when it was too much when it came to their children.

Karin seemed to notice something was up as he caught her giving him a suspicious look a few times throughout the day. Because that was the downside with his sister: she knew him too well and knew how to get him to admit to things that were bothering him.

His family just made it difficult to want to keep things from them.

He would admit that it did help that he’d also spent the majority of the day texting back and forth with Yuichi. The messages between them weren’t much different than what they’d say to each other in person, but then there would be that text every once in a while that would state how things had changed between them. Nothing too extreme, usually just a flattering comment from Yuichi that he would blush at and not know how to respond.

Wataru wondered if his parents hadn’t been home all day if Yuichi would have just shown up at some point. It sure seemed like their presence was the only thing that had kept Yuichi away. Because Wataru had made sure to point out that they wouldn’t have gotten any privacy.

That evening, when Wataru had been settled in his room for a while, Yuichi had called him and the two of them had spent a few minutes just talking as they had through the day, but actually hearing Yuichi’s voice had such a calming effect on Wataru that he wasn’t sure how to put it into words. Luckily, he didn’t have to before they hung up with plans made for Yuichi to meet him to walk with him to school in the morning.

Which was exactly what had happened: Yuichi arrived at Wataru’s a few minutes before he headed out. With his parents already gone for work and Karin still getting ready in her room – her school was a little closer so Wataru usually left first – Wataru let Yuichi in as he was finishing getting all his books for the day loaded back into his bag and grabbing something to eat for lunch. He almost expected Yuichi to say something about Saturday, but he’d just watched him move around with an amused expression before Wataru had caved and asked him what he was looking at.

“Someone woefully prepared for the day,” had been Yuichi’s answer and Wataru had shot a dirty look at the other teen.

“Woefully unprepared would be if I didn’t do my homework. I’m just…” Wataru tried to find the best way to say he was unorganized. “I use the space I’m given,” he settled on as he shouldered his bag and walked past Kazuki to the door.

“Not wisely,” Yuichi shot back easily enough.

“I have everything. What does it matter if it isn’t meticulously arranged while not in use?”

“Who are you picking up your vocabulary from, exactly?”

“Karin started working in new words she likes into conversation and makes me look them up if I don’t know what they mean.”

“And you do?”

Wataru looked back to Kazuki as he stood up from putting his shoes on and gave him an incredulous look. “Of course I do. You’ve met my sister, so you know it’s just a good idea to go along with her when she makes a demand. I’m pretty sure she has multiple plans of how to deal with me if I ever started ignoring her.”

“A healthy fear?”

“Survival instinct. Consider yourself lucky she likes you and has a much better sense of propriety than I do.”

“Meaning I’m safe from whatever it is that makes you have a dictionary handy when talking with your sister?”

“To some degree. I just recommend always being ready to never set foot inside this house again if you ever get on her bad side. Public spaces are your greatest ally; that’s when I get away with the most.”

They’d walked to school then, mostly remaining silent. Yuichi remained close to Wataru, their arms close to brushing together but not quite actually touching. More than anything, it just made Wataru hyper-aware of Yuichi at his side. And while they had walked to school together over the past few weeks, while it wasn’t this dramatic thing, Wataru still felt it was different than it had been before in just the slightest way. That seemed important.

And before they parted ways at the entrance, Yuichi heading to his own circle of upperclassman as Wataru waited for Kawamura to get off the bus, Yuichi reached out and took hold of Wataru’s wrist with a subtle touch. Wataru thought if he’d been wearing his short-sleeved uniform top, it would have been to the elbow, but Yuichi worked with what he had to. Either way, me made sure to make contact with Wataru’s skin for a few seconds before letting his hand drop back between them.

“Do I pass inspection today?” Wataru asked in a low voice as they were coming closer to more students.

Yuichi smirked over to him. “I guess you’ll do. At least for these few seconds, you’re not in danger. You’ve got all day to mess that up.”

“I’ll be sure to call you right away.” While it had been meant as a joke, Wataru’s tone shifted and it came out more serious than he’d intended, turning it into a genuine promise between them that had a soft smile coming to Yuichi’s expression.

And that had been their contact for the day, Kawamura walking home with him because of Yuichi having plans with friends already set. The walk home was spent mostly with his friend teasing Wataru about that extended hand holding on Saturday while Wataru tried to not let it get to him as much as it did. He’d never been one to be comfortable with any aspect of a relationship he was in to be called out and focused on like this, but it seemed like the difference in how deeply he cared for Yuichi was just amplifying that aspect of himself and it was becoming too easy for Kawamura to mess with him. He didn’t think it was necessarily wrong that he was reacting this way, just flustered that his best friend had picked up on it.

It was on the third day as Yuichi walked into the Fujii residence to meet up with and walk with Wataru to school that Wataru noticed how tense he seemed. So, Wataru stopped putting on his shoes and stepped up towards Yuichi, leaning forward a bit to get a good look at Yuichi’s face, which had been lowered and his eyes on the floor in front of him.

“Kazuki, what’s wrong?” Wataru asked, feeling the urge to reach out to take Kazuki’s hand. After the many times Kazuki had reached out to him, it only seemed right that he should want to as well. But seeming right and him actually being able to convince himself to do it were two different things and he still wasn’t that confident in how things had changed between them.

“I already called Ishida. We can meet with the contact I have with the Devas this morning,” Yuichi said, his voice tight and Wataru just felt more concerned.

Either way, the revelation helped him move past any hesitation and he reached out to grip Kazuki’s hand in his own securely, long fingers returning the hold after a few seconds.

“Is that a bad thing? I thought this was supposed to be the ‘good idea.’”

Yuichi looked up, meeting his gaze. “It’s not that it’s bad. I was sort of hoping for another day or two to talk to you about who we’re meeting and we haven’t had the chance.”

“What do you need to talk to me about? And I thought I wasn’t going to be meeting them anyway, that we weren’t going to reveal me.”

Yuichi let out a weary sigh and Wataru couldn’t help but reach out with his other hand to hold onto Yuichi’s other arm in a show of support. Yuichi responded to the touch by stepping forward and placing his own free hand over Wataru’s hip, the contact making Wataru’s face heat up a bit. He was far from used to someone touching him like that.

“The man we’re meeting is extremely stubborn. He could actually give you competition in that regard, though his tends to come through in a manner that is all about him getting what he wants. He’s difficult to work with on the best of days. Anyway, he decided he didn’t want to talk unless everyone involved was present for the meeting. If it was just me, he wouldn’t give me any information I couldn’t find in a brochure.”

Wataru frowned. “Is it really worth dealing with someone like that? It seems like he’s just looking for an easy way to follow protocol and will be informing the Devas of me as soon as we part ways.”

“I’m not dismissing the possibility, which is why I’ve agreed that everyone involved will be there, but I don’t intend for you to meet until I gauge his mood. I don’t doubt that we can convince him to keep your secret if we catch him on the right day. And if he promises me that he won’t tell, I’ve never known him to not keep his word; which may be why he doesn’t give it often. But he also knows that I’m not coming to him unless he makes that promise that he won’t break.”

“You’ve known him a long time?” It was rhetorical, Wataru able to tell from how Kazuki was talking that he knew this guy well, a knowledge that came from time passed.

“You could say that.”

Wataru got the feeling he wasn’t going to get anything else from Yuichi now. He seemed like he was just uncomfortable about the whole situation and that was strange to see. So, while Wataru really wanted to ask for more clarification, he didn’t want to press Yuichi and get him irritated before they met with someone who might not help them.

Wataru hated having to approach a situation with tact. It really wasn’t his strength.

“Well, if he’s waiting for us, we should get going. Don’t want to miss our own appointment. Where are we meeting him?”

Yuichi was definitely thrown by Wataru moving on like he had and Wataru wanted to laugh at being able to catch him off guard.

“Near where you were attacked. It was his decision, not mine.”

Wataru shrugged a shoulder as he started moving to finish getting ready to go, Yuichi’s hands falling away from him, and he grabbed a light jacket from the closet to cover his uniform shirt. “It’s not like I’m going to avoid that area. It’s only a few blocks from Kawamura’s place so I pass by it any time I go over there.”

“I suppose. I want you to keep back with Ishida unless I indicate you can come closer. I’ve already spoken to him about preventative measures so the two of you can’t be identified, just in case.”

“How’s he going to do that?” Wataru had no clue that was something Kawamura was capable of.

Yuichi gave him a slight smile as he opened the door and let Wataru pass him, closing it behind him. “He can alter the density of a barrier and it distorts everything within to anyone on the outside. Devas use it when they’re trying to conceal their identities on missions.”

Wataru gave a thoughtful hum in response as he followed Yuichi down the street toward Kawamura’s. They’d likely be catching a bus and Wataru was happy to let Yuichi lead the way so he could think things over for a bit.

He found himself thinking over the same things he’d been mulling over the past few days. Questions about what he was willing to do in the process of handling the situation he’d found himself in. He knew what he wanted – continued anonymity for having an Ouroboros core so he could be just a regular person – but he was realistic enough to realize that he was likely running out of time in having that. He was probably looking at his final days of having this secret.

Then again, if it meant safety to the people he cared about, he was willing to make that sacrifice, just like he would give himself over to Oni if it meant protecting them.

The one question that was becoming more prominent in his mind as the days went on was how the Oni even knew about the core. He knew that there were dispositions that allowed the user to identify if someone had a core and he thought there were other ones that could even identify what disposition the core gave the person, so it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that someone had just gotten lucky. But that just didn’t feel right to Wataru. Everything that had happened so far, the two Oni attacks felt deliberate and purposeful. It just felt like it was more than confirming a rumor and a move for intimidation factor.

If the Oni knew the core was dormant, it wasn’t any use unless it awakened, so it was possible they were already trying to get that result. They might be pushing at Wataru already to get what they needed from him faster.

It was possible that the Devas could keep that from happening.

Just because Wataru didn’t like the Devas didn’t mean he was completely ignorant of what they were capable of.

So, despite what Kazuki thought he should do with this meeting, Wataru would decide for himself what would happen to him.

The bus ride was made in silence between the two teens, Wataru deep in thought and Yuichi letting him think while keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings, ready to step between Wataru and any threat.

So, when they came into view of the stretch of sidewalk where the Nova had attacked Wataru, seeing Kawamura already waiting, Wataru felt anxious. He suppressed it as well as he could, but he was still tense as they walked over to his friend.

Yuichi was the first to speak to Kawamura, “Were you able to get the barrier right?”

Which Wataru took to mean that Kawamura didn’t know about the barrier he was going to be using before Yuichi told him about it.

“Yeah, it’s an easy one. Just know that I won’t be able to maintain it for long. My core’s stamina is still pretty pathetic right now,” Kawamura replied easily enough. His tone and posture were relaxed and that helped Wataru calm down a little.

“That’s fine. It shouldn’t take long to know if it’s necessary to leave it between you.”

“So, are you gonna break silence and let us know who it is before we’re face-to-face with him?”

Yuichi gave Kawamura an even look, which was met, Wataru surprised by his friend’s intensity now that he was putting his mind to it. It didn’t last long, Yuichi likely giving in because of the lack of time they had to argue.

“We’re meeting Shohei Kazuki, my brother.”

Well, that explained plenty, Wataru decided.

Because he wasn’t one for gossip, Wataru wasn’t as knowledgeable of Yuichi’s older brother as some of his fellow classmates – Kawamura included – but he did still know of the man’s reputation. He’d graduated years ago and still was a common enough name within the school to be recognized. In fact, if Yuichi had been a bit more active with school clubs, there would have been little difference between his years at the school and his brother’s before him.

Model student, intelligent, handsome…

…And a Paladin, like his younger brother, already working for the Devas as he had since graduating. And apparently that wasn’t enough because, if Wataru remembered correctly, the man also ran his own company to fill in the gaps of time between Deva missions.

Yuichi was right: this Deva was one to watch out for.

Wataru figured the fact that Shohei had set the conditions on talking to his little brother was a good indication of the kind of person he was. The man wasn’t willing to give some leeway because his brother asked for a favor and instead made sure he could still do his job if he needed. It was so different than how Yuichi would handle the situation that Wataru found himself leaning away from wanting Shohei to learn about him.

The three teens settled in to wait, Kawamura keeping a more active watch as Yuichi stood in close to Wataru, his fingers wrapped around Wataru’s wrist to keep his own defenses up by sensing any threat. It was quiet between them, the uncertainty of the meeting making it impossible for them to relax enough to say anything. Wataru even wanted to talk to Yuichi, not even about his brother or the conversation about to happen, but just about anything to see him relaxed. He didn’t like this apprehension he felt coming off of Yuichi; it wasn’t what he was used to seeing and it didn’t seem to belong.

Wataru just didn’t think it was right that talking with one’s brother should something to be avoided.

Wataru was just about to make the shift from “anxiously waiting” to “getting bored” when Yuichi and Kawamura both stood up a little straighter and looked around a bit more intently, definitely looking for something instead of keeping an eye out. Yuichi let go of Wataru’s wrist and indicated he step closer to Kawamura, who was already bringing his hands together in a now familiar clasped position before he pulled them out to shoulder-width and the barrier formed around the two of them. It didn’t look any different to Wataru, who could still see Yuichi and their surroundings clearly, but Yuichi didn’t say anything about it being done wrong so Wataru figured Kawamura had done things right.

Wataru had a thought and had to ask, “Can they hear us?”

“Yes,” Yuichi answered instead of Kawamura.

“I’m only distorting the view. Not so good at distorting sound so I didn’t bother,” Kawamura elaborated. He glanced over his shoulder to see Wataru’s confusion and added, “I can’t get the barrier to only distort sound from inside the barrier. I usually end up cutting out all sound or make it mess with everything.”

A man walked into view as Yuichi said, “He’s already not going to be happy that he can’t see you. He might actually get suspicious if we didn’t let him hear you. And, knowing him, he’ll have his hearing locked in on you guys, so only say things you don’t mind him hearing.”

Wataru watched as the man that was definitely Shohei Kazuki approached smoothly. He looked a lot like his younger brother, tall with lighter hair and eyes, though his hair was a few shades closer to brown. And while his build was similar to Kazuki’s – trim muscle that emphasized control rather than brute force – he was just a little bit broader in the shoulders and torso than his younger brother, though that could be more the difference in age.

As the man walked closer, Wataru noted what was easily the greatest difference between the brothers and he found himself strongly wishing for it not to be something that changed: Shohei’s eyes weren’t as kind as Yuichi’s. They weren’t completely devoid of kindness, like the Nova’s had been, but what warmth there was took a bit of work to find, hidden behind a calculating stare that Wataru wouldn’t be comfortable to be on the receiving end of.

“He’s pretty much exactly what I expected from someone with the type of reputation he left behind,” Kawamura muttered and Wataru nodded absently even though his friend wouldn’t see the motion.

“He’s what I expected to be an older brother of Kazuki,” Wataru muttered in response after a second.

“What’s the meaning of this, Yuichi?” Shohei called out to his brother, his tone demanding and confident and, while Wataru wasn’t surprised he was a bit disconcerted about how there was nothing in the man’s voice to indicate that he was talking to family. Considering Wataru knew there was a tone to his voice when he was talking to or about Karin, he’d expected there to be some give in the harsh demeanor Shohei put off when he was talking to Yuichi.

“You said you wanted to meet everyone involved in the incident,” Yuichi responded, a similar tone to his voice and Wataru figured that this wasn’t a close family.

“How exactly is this ‘meeting’ anyone? I can’t identify them through that barrier.”

“That’s the point. We’re playing things safe until we know we can trust you.”

The man smirked to Yuichi as he shifted his weight to a comfortable stance and slipped his hands into his pants pockets, the motion smooth and fluid. Wataru knew enough for that to tell him this man would be dangerous in a fight.

“You don’t trust your older brother to keep a little secret? I’m offended at your lack of faith in me.”

Yuichi’s expression hardened. “You’ve let your position with the Devas and the Paladin’s Organization take priority over your family before. I’m just learning from experience and protecting what I think is important. Your status with the Devas and the organization is not a priority.”

“I’m pretty sure I should be insulted.”

“If you want, but it it’s just going to waste time, we’re leaving.”

Wataru was just getting more uncomfortable about this encounter as it progressed. It was difficult to remain silent when all he wanted to do was tell the two to cool off, remind them that neither one of them are supposedly Oni, and there is a matter of priorities that seemed to be skewed at the moment. Their sibling dynamic was taking precedence when Wataru just wanted this to be over with.

Kawamura proved how well he knew Wataru as he suddenly jabbed him in the side with his elbow to get his attention, then shook his head when Wataru glared over at him. He knew Wataru was getting riled up and didn’t want him reacting emotionally before it was necessary. And Wataru took in a deep breath to calm himself because Kawamura was right. They had an opportunity here and he didn’t want it to get missed because he had issues holding his tongue.

Shohei looked over to them, obviously not able to see through the barrier because of how his gaze didn’t actually fix on either of them in a meaningful way, but it was still a bit disconcerting to be watched like that. After all, Paladins were able to enhance their senses to the natural limits, become able to see and hear everything around them at a level that few other dispositions could contend with. Wataru didn’t want that level of attention.

“You knew about the Oni attack before I talked to you,” Yuichi got them on track with a statement.

“Someone I know was working with the U.E.A. on the response team and he let me know my little brother had been involved in a civilian Oni confrontation. He made sure to be all sorts of impressed that you were able to defeat a Nova with a barely trained Qilin as back-up.” The response was so…official, like Shohei was just reporting the weather instead of talking about his little brother’s life being in danger.

“Was any part of what happened turned over to the Devas?”

“Is there a reason it should have been? Is what happened beyond the capability of the U.E.A.?”

Even Wataru could see that Shohei was asking questions to try and coerce more information out of Yuichi.

“The Devas would still stick their noses into the situation, even if they allowed it to be handled by the U.E.A,” Yuichi avoided the question easily enough and Wataru was immensely grateful that he wasn’t the one talking. “I ask again: was anything turned over to the Devas?”

Shohei took a moment before letting out a light laugh. “Only the Oni for holding. He’s doing an impressive job of remaining silent on why he attacked a pair of civilians and that only makes his intentions more suspicious: only people with something to hide stay so silent.”

Great, things were heading towards Wataru’s worst-case scenario quicker than he’d thought. He figured with the Oni in Deva custody, it was only a matter of time before the Nova told them exactly what he was doing attacking civilians. And from the tenseness of Yuichi’s shoulders, he was thinking along the same lines.

“Oni don’t bother with Paladins or Qilin,” Shohei continued. “I have never known an Oni to target either disposition unless it was to settle a grudge or they got in the way. For one, they are somewhat common dispositions. Secondly, both present fights not many are guaranteed to win. And a Paladin and Qilin together make for as formidable of an opponent there can be. While that is usually applied to both being fully trained, no Oni worth the title would choose to mess with that combination. So, why did they mess with you?”

“Isn’t that what you are supposed to be figuring out? That’s what both organizations exist for, after all,” Yuichi responded smoothly enough that Wataru thought he saw a glimpse of frustration on Shohei’s expression but it passed too quickly to be completely sure.

“Perhaps, but they rely on citizens doing their part to cooperate with their investigations. Why would you withhold details of an attack?”

“Why would you?”

Wataru wanted to roll his eyes at how practically combative Yuichi was becoming until he realized after a few seconds where Shohei was silent that Yuichi had been seriously asking to get his brother to think it over and come to the correct conclusion on his own. He then wanted to smack himself upside the head for missing something so obvious. He was just having difficulty getting past how these two behaved around each other.

But the thoughtful expression that Shohei had showed how much he really was thinking over what Yuichi’s motives were behind keeping Wataru hidden.

When he answered, his tone was much more serene and warm, a vast difference. “I’d be protecting my loved ones. Is that what this is really about?”

It seemed to be what Yuichi was looking for to ease up on his own approach because he answered honestly, “We know exactly why he attacked. There’s a question as to how the Devas would respond to knowing, though.”

“You aren’t protecting someone who has done something to be deemed an Oni, are you?”

“Are you serious!” Wataru couldn’t stop himself from exclaiming. And then he covered his mouth in reflex when Shohei’s eyes shot towards him. Yuichi let out a sigh as Kawamura shook his head with a slight grin.

“Well, you lasted longer than I thought you would,” his friend mused in a whisper and Wataru would have punched him if he didn’t want the barrier to stay up more than ever now.

Shohei shook off his surprise quickly enough and answered, “There aren’t many reasons to want to hide from the Devas and doing something that would classify one as an Oni is at the top of the list. I have to make sure.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not an Oni, just being attacked by them.”

“I see,” Shohei responded in apparent amusement before turning back to Yuichi. “Someone your age? That implies it’s about his disposition. I’m assuming someone who goes to your school if you’re close to him.”

“I’m not telling you who it is, Shohei. That’s his choice.”

“Well, he should understand that being a target of the Oni means that he is putting everyone around him in danger. They are renowned for their tenacity and once they choose a target, they never give up on hitting it. So, in this case, knowing is much less than half the battle. It’s your responsibility as a Paladin to make sure he knows this.”

“I’m aware,” Wataru answered in Yuichi’s stead. Now that he’s spoken up once, he felt less inclined to need to remain silent, especially when it was to stick up for Yuichi. “Why do you think I even considered talking to a Deva?”

Shohei appeared to glean Wataru’s opinion of Devas from his statement, and likely from the implied hesitation to deal with them.

“I see,” he said with a sigh before he pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms instead, looking much more intimidating. “Well, if you know why you were attacked and understand the continued threat, then what do you want from this meeting?” He was asking Wataru now, apparently taking advantage of him breaking his silence.

Yuichi moved, stepping so he was between the two behind the barrier and the Deva to pull attention back to himself.

“He’s not even a user, so stop painting him in your mind as an Oni,” Yuichi declared and Wataru hoped they could keep that cover.

Shohei gave his brother a smirk. “Oni don’t deal with ordinary people if they don’t have to: there’s no point. That excuse wouldn’t work on the most inexperienced enforcement agent, so that you attempted to use it with me is insulting. I’ll accept that he hasn’t done anything worth being labelled an Oni, but how you’re handling the situation is suspect. Give me a reason to want to help you.”

Yuichi looked over his shoulder toward Wataru and appeared to struggle to decide what to say. And with the barrier between them, Wataru couldn’t communicate with him without speaking. Well, it wasn’t like he had to keep quiet.

“Give him something, Kazuki,” Wataru said in a low voice, not knowing if Shohei was even using his core to enhance his senses so there was the possibility that what he’d said hadn’t been heard by the man. And Shohei didn’t give anything away, so nothing would tell him for sure.

Yuichi let out a sigh and Wataru caught the eye roll just before green eyes turned back toward his brother. “As stated, we know why he’s being targeted. In typical Oni fashion, it’s about a core, but a dormant one. We want to know what the Devas would do about that knowledge.”

Shohei frowned a bit at that and Wataru wondered why that bothered him. Was it really such a big deal for a Deva to reveal how they would respond to a scenario?

“What’s the disposition?” Shohei asked and Yuichi crossed his arms, though Wataru couldn’t see the expression he gave his brother.

“I said it’s dormant, so why does it matter?” he hedged.

“It matters to the Oni who are after him, enough that they attack him in the street, risking getting caught. Regardless of what anyone tells you, Oni don’t actually like getting caught and having their cores sealed for the rest of their lives. It sort of inhibits them from attaining any more power.” Shohei didn’t let it go and Wataru guessed they weren’t going to work around the revelation this time around.

“Whether or not it matters to them, we’ve decided you don’t need to know. And because we managed to stop the Nova before he hurt anyone, I’m inclined to believe we are capable enough to handle the situation without intervention from Devas or the U.E.A.”

“You’re sure you weren’t just lucky?”

Yuichi didn’t respond to that immediately and Wataru found himself really wanting to see what sort of expression he had then. Shohei had basically just told him he wasn’t good enough to protect Wataru, like he wanted, and that had to be horrible to hear.

After a short pause, Yuichi responded and his voice was tense with restrained emotion, “Either you answer the question or we leave. We only need one thing from you and that’s it. We don’t need any of your ‘wisdom’ in how to handle this or we’d be reporting what’s happening to the Devas ourselves.”

“I joked that you don’t trust me, but now I see I was closer to the truth than I should have been. You don’t trust the Devas,” Shohei accused and he actually sounded offended.

“Not everyone here is convinced of how upstanding their handling of a situation would be,” Yuichi hedged a bit, but actually conveyed Wataru’s feelings pretty accurately.

 “I see.” Shohei went silent again and Wataru watched him carefully for any indication that they’d just lost out on their chance for a straight answer. He’d just about given up hope when Shohei let out a resigned sigh and pushed his hands back into his pants pockets, his posture relaxing at the change in position. “Well, I don’t want to give your mystery friend any more reason to doubt that the Devas always have the best interest of people at the center of everything we do. That’s all remaining silent would do as far as I can see.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“I do believe his disposition, dormant or not, would make a difference in the approach of the Devas response. Ignoring the fact that he even knows he has a dormant core, some are more dangerous than others to have sitting around in the body with no outlet.”

“Meaning?” Wataru had to ask. He wasn’t sure if his confusion here was from something he’d willfully ignored since it was to do with how cores worked or if it was more obscure knowledge Shohei was referring to. Because, as far as he knew, there were no consequences to a core’s abilities going unused for long periods of time.

“I’m assuming you at least know where cores gain their strength from?” Shohei asked instead.

“Sure. Energy conducted by brain activity if centered in the brain, kinetic energy produced from the heart beating if centered in the heart, and a combination of both if its uncentered,” Wataru answer easily enough, a little relieved that he could at least answer that much.

“Correct,” Shohei’s response was mocking and Wataru wished he could glare at the man and have it actually be seen. “All cores have their maximum capacity of energy that can be stored. The level it starts at when the core awakens differs between individuals, as does the rate that core increases where it caps. And some cores are just naturally able to hold more. When a core is fully charged, if you will, it simply disperses the energy back into the body, rejuvenating the body naturally. It’s why people with cores tend to have an easier time with maintaining health, remaining in good shape, require less sleep, and actually age a bit slower.”

“Yeah, Cores 101,” Wataru griped at the lecture. He did actually know all this.

“A dormant core isn’t the same as having a core that hasn’t awakened yet. For someone who doesn’t have an awakened core, it hasn’t actually formed so it isn’t gathering energy. A dormant core is one that is perfectly formed and functioning but isn’t connected to the user. So, it’s growing as any other core would, building in strength as an awakened core would.”

Wataru finally got an idea of where this was going. Sure, it may have been basic knowledge, but he hadn’t thought of what that difference actually meant beyond whether he was a user or not.

“The growth of a dormant core usually makes it difficult, sometimes near impossible, for the user to control if it does establish that connection with them. People have died because of the awakening of a dormant core. Of course, that is dependent on the disposition. The safest options are to attempt to awaken the core if it’s within five years of it entering dormancy or seal it.”

“How do you know if it’s within five years?”

“Same way we determine when a core awakens in everyone else: we use a Seer. There’s nothing about a core they can’t figure out.”

Seers were about as common as Regens and their disposition lent itself well to its own profession rarely connected directly to the U.E.A. or Devas. They did their own thing and were left alone to do so, only acting as consultants for the enforcement aspect of users.

 “So that’s the Deva solution,” Wataru muttered, not caring who heard him. “Just cut the problem off at what you consider the source. Go by some old generalization, try and force it or just seal it away. Your approach is as dated as your stance against Chimeras, not allowing them to be Devas just because they have more than one Core.”

Wataru knew Shohei was angry with what he said, the tensing of his jaw giving him away even as he apparently tried to keep the reaction suppressed.

“The restriction on Chimeras being allowed to be Devas is a completely different matter than how we address the threat of an Oni against a civilian.”

Wataru crossed his arms and tried to quell his rising temper, but was finding it difficult. He’d never actually talked to a Deva before and now that he was faced with one, he felt all his dislike for them rising up and all direct at Shohei. He knew that Shohei wasn’t someone who could make a difference in what his issues with the Devas were, but he was a face to direct his emotions against and that was enough for him at the moment.

He just wished it mattered more that this was Yuichi’s brother. But even Yuichi seemed content to just stand by and watch things unfold between the two.

“You claim that sealing the dormant core is for my protection, but what says I’m actually in danger from it?”

 “History and many cases before you of users bodies shutting down from overload because they’d had a dormant core for years.”

“Show me as many cases from recent years when we have a better understanding of how cores work and maybe then I’ll pay some attention. At one time, yeah, having more than one Core and I’m sure a dormant core awakening were huge deals. But things change. Human beings aren’t the same as we were when we first discovered cores and started trying to figure them out. You look at a Chimera and see something unstable and just an accident waiting to happen, but I see someone capable of more than you will ever even imagine being able to accomplish.

“I’m not letting someone seal the core I carry. If I wanted that, I would have done it myself years ago. But I trust the people looking after me, mostly because they aren’t Devas. We’re done here. Thank you for your time and giving me the answers I was expecting.”

Kawamura took that as the cue it was and moved his hands further apart to expand the diameter of the barrier. He didn’t increase it by much, just enough so that it surrounded Yuichi and all three were now concealed behind the barrier.

A little harsh, but Wataru didn’t really regret it, only finding himself grateful that Kawamura knew him so well as to pull that off like it had been planned.

And, luckily, Yuichi seemed fine to keep following Wataru’s lead, actually stepping back a bit so he was closer to the other two and Kawamura could bring the size of the barrier back down a bit so it wasn’t so straining for him to maintain.

And if Shohei had been irritated before, he now looked downright pissed. His eyes were hard and his jaw was clenched. His hands had pulled out of his pockets and had reached for Yuichi but were now gripping tightly into fists.

It suddenly hit Wataru that this was Yuichi’s brother; while he’d known it before, now he was actually thinking about what that meant for their similarities stretching past appearance. Yuichi constantly did things that showed how important it was for him to have some control over a situation. And Shohei seemed like the kind of person who not only shared that trait, but was also very accustomed to getting his way. Wataru and Yuichi had kept that from happening and now he was feeling his failure.

It took a few deep breaths, but eventually Shohei loosened up a bit and gave the distorting barrier a flat look.

“You’re lucky I don’t just report you to the Deva Prominents with the suggestion that you be sealed immediately. All I would need to do would be talk to some of Yuichi’s classmates. I'm sure you go to the same school and that is how you know each other. But I’ll admit I’m curious as to how this will turn out without involvement on our side. Now, if you decide you need help, please call and we will help you.”

Shohei didn’t wait for a response, just turned and walked away in the same direction he’d approached from.

Once he was a ways away, Yuichi turned and looked back to Wataru, his expression tight and difficult to read. “Whether or not he was enhancing his hearing, if you ever talk to him again, he’ll be able to identify you. He’ll remember what you sound like. He’s good at what he does and he’s been doing it for about ten years.”

“You two didn’t seem like you were close,” Wataru responded absently, rubbing his hands over his face and through his hair. “I figure by the time I see him again, we’ll have figured out what to do about all this.”

“Aw, how sweet: Wataru acting like he actually planned that out. It’s not like he was just getting emotional and standing up for us and himself when he was pressed,” Kawamura cut in before Yuichi could. Wataru gave the back of his friend’s head a glare since the other teen was still holding up the barrier, likely making sure Shohei was long gone before he dropped it.

Yuichi gave Kawamura a slight grin before turning his attention back to Wataru. “I think most of his anger comes from your opposition to the Devas. Shohei knew from a young age that he wanted to work with the Devas and he has quite the solid reputation with them. He’s proud of what he’s done with them and he’s proud of the organization, to the point that he’d get defensive over them being insulted like you tend to do, Wataru.”

“I don’t care if he was just getting defensive over his precious Devas. It doesn’t change what he told us. If I go to the Devas for help, they’ll seal me.”

Kawamura finally dropped his hands and the barrier gradually faded away, leaving the three teens standing there in on the sidewalk. This time of day, it would likely remain empty and they wouldn’t get any unwanted attention for not being in school. It wasn’t a busy part of town anyway.

Kawamura took in a deep breath and turned around to look at Wataru with a serious expression. “Would that really be such a bad thing?” he asked and Wataru’s shoulders tensed up at having been called out for that. “You’ve never actually said why having the core sealed isn’t what you want. You don’t want it to awaken so why is there another alternative?”

The three went silent, Kawamura conveying that he was serious about getting an answer to this, Yuichi watching Wataru carefully, and Wataru feeling like he’d rather be anywhere else. He hadn’t wanted to put this to words, didn’t want to admit to his feelings on this and have to accept accountability.

But then there was the fact that he really was tired of holding himself back because of this secret that he’d held onto for so long. Why not answer and let there be one less thing he held back from the people he cared about.

“Every single opinion I have about cores is as an outsider, as someone who isn’t a user, so it doesn’t affect me. If the Ouroboros core awakens, or if another one completely my own awakens instead, then that changes things. Either way, it shouldn’t be someone else’s call whether or not I get to have a core. If I used my abilities to hurt people, then that should be handled appropriately. But if I’m being sealed just because I might die when the core awakens, then that isn’t me being allowed my life. Standard procedure shouldn’t be taking away choice from someone who hasn’t deserved losing it.”

Yuichi looked thoughtful, but Kawamura rolled his eyes as he turned and started walking away. “Figures it would be about people telling you what to do.” Wataru heard the humor in his friend’s voice though and he shook his head, realizing he should have expected that exact response. He was about to follow Kawamura when Yuichi reached out and grabbed his arm.

Wataru looked towards Yuichi and was about to speak when Yuichi’s other hand cupped his cheek as he stepped in close and touched his lips to Wataru’s. Wataru froze in his shock at being kissed so abruptly, but the thought of pulling away or pushing Yuichi away never occurred to him and he relaxed into the contact.

Not that it lasted long or became anything more intense than a gentle touch of their lips against each other as Yuichi moved away slowly.

Wataru licked his lips unconsciously, as if he was trying to chase the sensation of the contact, but then he looked up at Yuichi and saw the intense look he was being given and that focused him in quite a bit, his heart pounding just a bit faster.

“What was that for?” he asked, unable to speak much louder than a whisper.

“You really are something different, Wataru Fujii. And I love you for it,” Yuichi answered in an equally quiet but strong voice. It was a declaration he definitely believed in and Wataru knew he’d flushed just a bit darker.

“Yeah, well, next time save the display for when we’re off the street,” Wataru retorted as he moved away a bit and followed after Kawamura as he’d intended. Yuichi laughed and fell into step just behind Wataru, obviously altering his gait to keep that angle since he was taller than Wataru.

Wataru suspected he kept that position so he could actually see Wataru while keeping the hold on his hand like he had.

It was hard to get mad when he was just so…enamored with Yuichi wanting to kiss and touch him. How could he be mad when it was what he wanted to but didn’t have the confidence to actually follow through on?


	9. Clearing the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they find moments of rest, Wataru and Yuichi make sure they are on the same page with each other...

Kawamura went home after walking back to Wataru’s house with Wataru and Yuichi, saying that he didn’t think his teachers would accept the excuse that he was throwing barriers over his best friend so Oni didn’t kill him as reason enough for his homework not to be done and he just got his grades up. He promised that he’d call a friend to get the assignments from today for both of them and then left the other two alone.

Wataru half-expected Yuichi to leave as well since he hadn’t been in the habit of sticking around longer than he had to since they’d started the whole tutoring thing. But after it was obvious that Yuichi planned to stay with Wataru, the younger teen realized that it probably had more to do with the fact that no one was due to be returning home anytime soon.

They should also probably talk about this thing that was happening between them. It seemed like they were on different pages, emotionally at the very least, and that wasn’t fair to either one of them.

So, a few quiet minutes after Kawamura had left – Wataru partly needing to build up his courage while also making sure that his friend didn’t change his mind and come back – Wataru had invited Yuichi back to his room. While they had the whole house to themselves and would for the next few hours, Wataru felt like there needed to be something that made this different than anytime they’d talked before. It felt appropriate for them to talk about their relationship in the privacy of Wataru’s room.

Or Wataru could be completely off with all this and was making a fool of himself. He really wasn’t good with relationships, the few that he’d had.

Either way, he wanted them to figure out the right same page for them to be on.

The silence that went on between them for about a minute after they’d entered Wataru’s room was awkward, at least to Wataru. And it seemed like Yuichi wasn’t maintaining the usual infallible composure so he was likely feeling the weight of the silence as well.

Wataru was frustrated: sure, they hadn’t always had the best communication, but things had gotten better since he’d told Yuichi about his core. He didn’t want them going back after actually making progress, especially when the whole point of this now was to move further forward.

Determined now that he’d managed to focus in on the goal, Wataru squared up with Yuichi, who looked equal parts concerned and confused. Not allowing himself the chance to think about what that meant, Wataru closed the distance between them, reached up to take Yuichi’s face between his hands, then rose up to press his lips against Yuichi’s in a firm kiss. He heard Yuichi inhale sharply against him before one hand rested against his cheek as the other took hold of his hip, holding him close as Yuichi reciprocated the kiss. He didn’t deepen it, letting Wataru be the guide on that, and Wataru didn’t feel confident enough to take it _that_ far.

He let the kiss end after a few breaths pressed together and even when they parted their lips, their bodies remained close.

Keeping his eyes closed as he felt Yuichi’s breath against his lips, Wataru felt like he was on the right track. Because no matter how fast his heart was pounding or how flushed he felt, ultimately he had never felt so at ease with how things were. He was okay with this and, for some reason, that helped him be a little more okay with everything else going on in his life right now. He felt like Yuichi being with him right now was the balance to the Oni attacking him.

He nearly scoffed at how quickly his mind had reached that decision, making it alright to be a target like he was as long as something good came out of it.

He must be feeling something serious if that was the conclusion he came to; he wasn’t an optimist and this was about as “silver-lining” as one could get with the situation.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Yuichi mused eventually. It was like he hadn’t wanted to spoil anything between them but also needed to actually address what had happened. He wasn’t wrong. "I’m really not complaining, but why did you kiss me?”

Wataru let out a sigh and relaxed his forehead against Yuichi’s shoulder. “I wanted you to know for sure.”

“Know what?” Yuichi had to prompt him when that was all he said.

Wataru’s nerves were kicking in, quickly sapping him of all the confidence he’d just had and he was left with his racing thoughts that doubted if Yuichi really cared about him as much as he claimed to.

“That I really do care about you.”

“I know you do. You’ve told me you do.”

“Yeah, but I just felt like I hadn’t done anything but tell you. And then when you kissed me, I told you not to. I didn’t want you to start doubting.”

He felt Yuichi laugh quietly. “It’s only been a few days. I’m not that impatient to get at you.”

Wataru flushed and stepped away from Yuichi, feeling his temper spike. He didn’t appreciate the implications when he was just trying to clear things up between them. It didn’t help that he’d never been comfortable with the idea of sex. It made him nervous and he didn’t need _more_ to be nervous about right now.

“There’s the fight,” Yuichi said before he could get any sort of objection out.

Confused, Wataru sputtered a bit before getting out a simple but strained, “What?”

Yuichi’s expression got a little less warm and much more his usual mocking. “You were getting so nervous and quiet I wasn’t sure how I should handle you. I’m much more accustomed to dealing with an oppositional Wataru.”

“’Oppositional?’ Are you serious?”

And, as though to make sure Wataru didn’t get comfortable, Yuichi reached out to him again, curling a hand around the back of his neck. “I may know how to fight, but you’re a fighter, Wataru. You know how to stand up and do what needs to be done just because it’s the right thing to do. I love that about you.”

“What don’t you love about me?” Wataru asked through his embarrassment at the compliments.

“You could be a little less absentminded, but we’ll work on that.”

“Hey, I’m not…” Wataru’s objection was cut short as Yuichi moved back into him and hovered his lips a few inches away from Wataru, just waiting there. “Kazuki?”

“I want to be this close to you all the time. It has nothing to do with me being a Paladin; that just makes me want to protect you. But I love you, so I always want to feel your warmth, your breath, know your scent, hear your voice. I want to kiss you. I want to touch you.”

Wataru took in a deep breath, his heart pounding fast but he was getting past the actual nerves and was becoming more aware of the emotions he had beyond them. “Go ahead. I really do want that too, even if it’s just taking me a while to get used to it.”

Yuichi took him up on his offer, kissing Wataru and pressing against him firmly for a few seconds before opening his mouth to touch his tongue to Wataru’s lips, then moved in to taste Wataru when he opened his mouth to him.

It had been a while since Wataru had kissed anyone like this. His last relationship had been a few months ago and they hadn’t been together for very long. Wataru being slow to be comfortable with anything intimate meant they hadn’t gotten very far physically, but he didn’t see that being too much of a problem here. For one, part of his discomfort with his ex had been in taking the lead, worrying that he wasn’t doing the right thing so he couldn’t get into it. Other than that, they hadn’t been close when they’d decided to start dating. But Yuichi and him had been getting to know each other, getting comfortable being around each other for months. And even though Yuichi was definitely the one leading the way right now, Wataru got the feeling that he’d back off if Wataru indicated he wanted to take over. There was just that feel to the press of lips and tongue against him, that it was still somehow polite and attentive.

Yuichi was listening to him even now.

That was…rather endearing.

And Wataru actually lost track of everything that wasn’t Yuichi’s lips on his own or the weight of his hand on Wataru’s neck and wrapped around his waist to his back. He just knew that he was getting more familiar with the taste of Yuichi and he liked that.

When they did eventually part from the kiss, they stayed wrapped around each other, Yuichi keeping the same grip on Wataru as he’d started with while Wataru wrapped his arms around Yuichi’s neck, pushing up on the balls of his feet to stand a bit taller against Yuichi, his face pressed into Yuichi’s neck so he could feel the quick pulse against his cheek. It was comforting to know he wasn’t the only one whose heart was racing because of this.

After a few minutes of just touching like that, Yuichi let out a heavy sigh that got Wataru cautious. Had he messed up already?

“I wish things were different with your core,” Yuichi suddenly admitted.

Wataru relaxed a bit, coming down flat on his feet and letting his arms slide down to rest against Yuichi’s chest on either side of his face, then let out a sigh of his own at his core being the topic again. It just had to get in the way of everything. “How so?”

“I just want it to be anything but how things are now. For you to not have a core, for the one you have to not be someone else’s Entrusted or dormant, for it to not be an Ouroboros. If any of that was different, maybe this would be a little easier.”

“Why does it have to be easier?”

Yuichi curled forward a bit into Wataru, tightening his hold on the lithe body in his arms. “Maybe not easier, but less dangerous. I wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not you’re alive and safe every time I’m not with you. And then there’s the whole affinity thing…”

Wataru hadn’t thought about that in a while, about how Yuichi’s core was trying to form an affinity with him and that it wasn’t pleasant for Yuichi to have to deal with. So, even knowing that Wataru returned his feelings, there was still that constant feeling of being rejected.

Wataru wouldn’t mind having an active core if it meant some relief for Yuichi.

“I wouldn’t mind having a core if it meant having an affinity with you,” Wataru let that thought be declared, his voice low but certain. As it was, being able to form affinities was about the only thing Wataru didn’t mind when he considered the possibility of becoming a user. Sure, he was independent to a fault, but that wasn’t what affinities were about. They were about the kind of care people could have for each other and he’d never fault that.

There was nothing destructive about affinities, not like every disposition had the potential to be. He liked that.

“I’d like to have a formed affinity with you, Wataru, but I can live without it.”

Wataru let out a soft laugh, not wanting to disturb their position, wanting to ride out this closeness as long as they could. Because they couldn’t just stand there in the middle of his bedroom forever.

Yuichi appeared to pick up on that as he pressed one more kiss against Wataru’s temple and stood up straight, the motion separating them a little and then Yuichi taking an additional step away. “Might as well get some space before it’s really difficult for me to give it to you.” Wataru frowned up at Yuichi, who actually looked a little uncomfortable, reaching up to run his hand through his hair and his cheeks dusted pink. “ _That_ is my Paladin instincts talking. The more I feel you safe, the more I feel the need to make sure it stays that way. I know it seems somewhat counterintuitive, but that’s what I feel. And I hate to keep blaming the affinity thing, but it is actually an influence here. My core only knows that a natural function isn’t being able to occur and that makes it…restless.”

If Yuichi hadn’t looked so embarrassed by the notion, Wataru would have doubted him, thinking it was just a way of the other teen trying to get a reaction from him. But he couldn’t help but believe him on this.

That and he’d look it up later, both more information on the effects of affinities not forming and instincts of a Paladin's core. As frustrating as it could be to have his strongest subjects be in the sciences – mostly because of how lacking he was in other subjects – it did mean that he was good at research and didn’t mind looking for an answer. After all, most of what he now knew about cores, he’d learned over the past month or so.

But for now, he figured he could offer at least some understanding, comfort at best. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to always want to know that I’m safe, especially with my track record lately.”

Yuichi’s eyes widened a bit and he reached out for Wataru before catching himself and pulling back.

Wataru wouldn’t have pegged Yuichi for the affectionate type, even taking into consideration the tactile senses he had, Wataru hadn’t assumed it to mean Yuichi _wanted_ to be touching him. And while Wataru wasn’t uncomfortable having Yuichi touching him, he did feel a bit of strain at his own tolerance of being in physical contact with others. He figured it would get easier as he became more accustomed to being together with Yuichi, but for now it meant that he was being overwhelmed while Yuichi wasn’t getting enough.

But…it didn’t have to be all or nothing, he realized and then felt a bit foolish for not thinking about it sooner.

So he reached out before he could doubt himself and not be able to go through with it and took Yuichi’s hand, interlacing their fingers and then letting their hands hang between them, satisfied as Yuichi’s expression went from surprised to fond and happy.

For the first time in Wataru’s life, he thought he might be able to get a relationship right. And he’d try his hardest to do so.

* * *

“When are you going to catch me up on what’s going on?” Karin demanded of Wataru as she walked into his room without knocking. Yuichi was moving to stand and place himself between Wataru and the door before he managed to catch himself in the middle of such an aggressive move. Wataru was actually a little impressed Yuichi succeeded in reining himself in.

Wataru still felt his heart pounding much faster than it had been a few seconds ago from his own startle.

Yuichi had been the one to accompany him home after school, staying so they could get caught up for missing the day before. So, Wataru had spread out on the floor next to his desk, leaving his chair and the desk itself to Yuichi – he worked on the floor half the time anyway when he had a choice in the matter – and they settled into a familiar pattern of homework and casual conversation. And their positions also allowed Yuichi to be close to Wataru, his chair turned sideways a bit so he could touch his shin to the length of Wataru’s side easily and unobtrusively.

“Hello to you too, Karin,” Wataru responded as he glared over his shoulder and Yuichi’s leg at his little sister, who just glared right back. “Besides, I thought you wanted to be left out of the loop on my core issues.”

“Where did you get an idea like that? I never said anything of the sort. And don’t insult me by implying that I don’t know something is still going on even if you haven’t been marked again. I know full-well that you’re still in some sort of danger.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Who else would give you away so easily: Kawamura, of course."

It wasn’t like Wataru picked his best friend based on their ability to lie for him. And he likely hadn’t said anything, but just got nervous when he’d stopped by to accompany Wataru to school that morning. That would’ve been enough for Karin to work things out.

But Wataru didn’t want Karin involved with what was going on. Karin had already been threatened and he’d never forgive himself if he was the reason she got hurt. He thought the best thing to do was to keep her as separated from what was going on as he possibly could, but there was no guarantee that he wasn’t putting her in more danger by taking that approach.

Then again, it was possible that nothing he did would make a difference. The Oni sure hadn’t acted to his convenience so far.

“What can I say? An older brother rarely likes telling his younger sister anything he doesn’t have to, doesn’t like encouraging her.” Maybe if he got her frustrated enough, she’d drop it until Yuichi left, hoped that he could use her manners against her so he could get some to figure out what he’d say.

“Nice try, but I’m not dropping this just because Kazuki is here. Maybe if I wasn’t certain he was completely aware of what was happening, but that’s not the case. I’m not dropping this, Wataru, and the sooner you accept that the sooner I stop being mad at you for trying to hide it all in the first place.”

“Karin…” Wataru groaned out as he pinched the bridge of his nose in his own irritation. Sure, they looked a lot alike, but their similarities in their stubbornness levels really proved them to be siblings. What was worse was that Wataru’s soft spot for his sister meant she usually won out against him when they clashed.

He looked up at Yuichi, who just gave him a noncommittal shrug and he rolled his eyes at the lack of help there, even though he hadn’t expected him to get involved. Yuichi tended to back off when it came to Karin, but now Wataru at least understood why considering how the Kazuki brother’s relationship was nothing like what Karin and Wataru were.

Karin caught the glance and must have thought it was him trying to pass off the responsibility, because she walked into the room and sat down pointedly on Wataru’s bed, crossing her arms and fixing Wataru with an expectant look.

He didn’t want to tell her about the Nova attack; it was such a spike in danger to him that he figured he wouldn’t be able to dissuade Karin from thinking they needed to tell their parents about what was happening. So, maybe he could get away with just skipping that part.

“We met with a Deva,” he said. The hardness in Karin’s gaze faded so she was just left with shock as she stared at him. He caught Yuichi raising an eyebrow at him as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms as well.

“Why?” Karin asked after a few seconds.

“I wanted to know what they would do about me. Apparently, it’d be seal on sight.”

“They didn’t?”

“We met with one who didn’t have the disposition to do so. And I didn’t exactly make an announcement of who I was or even an introduction so they shouldn’t be able to track me down. All they know is that someone with a dormant core was asking questions.”

Karin was obviously thinking it over. Maybe if he was upfront enough about this, she wouldn’t think there was something else for her to be concerned about.

She suddenly gave him a sly smile and he frowned in suspicion. “You never did like people telling you what to do. I bet if it was your idea, you wouldn’t mind the core being sealed.”

“Well, of course I wouldn’t mind if it was my choice. This isn’t choosing what college I go to, but something that would genuinely affect the rest of my life. And it’s not like it becomes this invisible thing that doesn’t make a difference to anything, but having a sealed core, no matter the circumstances, is put on your official record. It doesn’t put why it was sealed so people are free to assume why.”

Karin was shaking her head at him now. “You always choose the strangest things to have a problem with. You don’t even want the core but you won’t let them cut you off from it.”

“It’s not about them sealing the core, but why it’s their solution. It feels like it’s for the wrong reason. I’m not letting someone else decide something like that for the wrong reason.”

“I just think you’re biased, that no matter what the Deva said, you’d find a reason not to go along with it. They just happened to find something really easy to oppose.”

Wataru growled out a sigh. “Would you please stop giving me a hard time for not liking the Devas?”

Karin smiled back at him with fake kindness. “Would you stop disliking them for no reason?”

Wataru really didn’t want to go through this familiar argument today. He was so tired of having everybody tell him he was wrong because he didn’t agree with the majority and it actually hurt when his sister got on him about it.

“I agree with Wataru on his decision,” Yuichi spoke before Wataru could say something he’d likely regret and he appreciated the intervention. “Their procedure, in this matter, is a bit dated and is likely so because it’s not an overly common issue to deal with. It’s a solution based on generalization that the Devas have tried to work out of their system over the past few decades.”

Karin looked over to Yuichi and seemed surprised that he was taking Wataru’s side in the matter. But, after a few seconds, she let out a sigh, the sound weary and Wataru’s chest ached to hear it. She was just worried about him and she wasn’t jaded like he was about the whole thing.

Well, maybe not so much jaded; just cautious.

“I guess if it’s something you two agree on, I can’t see much point in arguing. I can win against Wataru, but I’m not so confident against Kazuki.” Wataru glanced over at her in surprise for such a declaration, but her demeanor didn’t hold out long before she gave him a smile so he knew she was joking. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. Just because nothing else has happened doesn’t mean it won’t. While not all Oni are core-stealing, user-torture-and-murdering, power-hungry psychopaths, they all have done something to deserve the designation of Oni. They’re all dangerous in some measure; that’s the one thing about them you can count on.”

“I know, I went through the same school lectures you did. But we’re being careful. Kazuki and Kawamura are helping keep me safe and that’s all I need. If it changes, I’ll reevaluate and adjust my approach as needed.”

“I’m just worried that reevaluation will come too late because you don’t want to admit when you’re in over your head."

She had a point. “That’s what Kazuki’s around for: arguing with me when he thinks he’s right,” he said with a slight upturn of his lips. Yuichi gave Wataru a frown.

“That’s not funny, Wataru,” he declared.

“It is if you have a sense of humor.” Yuichi strung him along all the time so it was a nice change to get one up on the older teen. “It’s also accurate or what have you spent the past few months since we met doing?”

“Looking after you,” Yuichi declared strongly, seeming to either forget Karin was there or not caring.

“I’m hearing semantics.”

“The extra work you’ve put into language is also showing.”

Karin stood up suddenly and walked over to Wataru smoothly, getting him slightly concerned about what had set her off. She dropped down at his side and threw her arms around his neck before he could figure out that was what she was going for and stop her. So, all he could do was sit there and let her get it out of her system. He did reach up and pat her arm at one point but couldn’t bring himself to do more when he was still just confused as to why she’d suddenly decided to embrace him.

“Karin?” he eventually called to her when it seemed she wasn’t getting it out of her system quickly.

“I’m happy for you, Wataru. I was so worried you were going to ignore that there might be something between you.”

Wataru looked up to Yuichi, who was unhelpfully smirking down at him. “…What?”

Karin pulled away to fix him with an intense look and he reflexively pressed a little closer against the desk to try and get whatever distance he could manage. “Anyone who saw Kazuki when you were marked would have known there was something between you two. But because you don’t pay any attention to how you feel, I thought you’d never figure it out.”

Wataru knew he would be blushing for his emotions as well as his still new relationship with Yuichi being called out so bluntly. “When have my relationships ever been your business?” he asked shortly and he saw Yuichi raise an eyebrow at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Don’t you mean ‘relationship’? I only recall the one,” Karin shot back smoothly enough. “And you’ve never said the topic was off-limits. You broke up with your girlfriend before I could meet her and talk to you.” That was actually a fair point, not that Wataru would ever admit it, so he just kept up the glare he’d fixed on his sister. “I only wanted to make sure that you know I’m happy for you. He obviously cares about you and I have a feeling he’ll be good for you.” She rounded on Yuichi then and he looked a bit startled to suddenly be the center of her attention. “You promise you’re looking out for him?”

“Yes, I promise. I’ll do everything I can to keep him safe.”

Karin just looked at him for a few seconds and Wataru wondered if she was actually going to contradict what she’d just said, but then she smiled again and nodded before rounding back on Wataru. “Don’t make me have to tell our parents that something happened to you. They already worry about us enough and they worry about you having the core.”

“I know and I won’t. I’m being careful.”

“I guess that’s all I can ask. Now, to repay me for all the trouble you’ve been lately, you’re helping my club set up a booth next Monday after school.”

Wataru let out a sigh and dropped his head; Karin had called in this particular kind of favor before because a lot of the other girls in any of her clubs had one of two opinions of Wataru. First was just being in awe of how similar the two were in appearance and so they’d spend the whole time staring at him or questioning him and ultimately not being any help. The rest thought he was cute enough to flirt with and that just meant more attention he wasn’t fond of having on him.

Which was why Karin asked for his help like this when she felt she had reason to get even with him. This was punishment, plain and simple.

“I’m not sure I’ve earned that,” he tried to ease his way out of it, knowing outright refusal would only guarantee he wouldn’t escape.

“Oh, you owe me plenty. The healing I’ve had to do on you alone recently is enough.”

“Fine, Monday. I’ll be there.”

“Good. I’ll leave you to your work and company.” She gave Wataru a pointed look before shooting Yuichi a wink as she stood and headed toward the door.

Once she was gone, closing the door behind her without another look back at the two, Yuichi looked down to Wataru with a raised eyebrow. “Do you have any idea how grateful I am that your sister is so down to earth and normal? She’s so much easier to deal with than most of the girls at our school put together.”

“I can’t tell if you’re kidding. Are you kidding?”

“No, I’m serious.” Yuichi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and reaching out to run his fingers through Wataru’s hair soothingly. “Imagine she’s not your sister and you’ll see what I mean.”

“You just have to deal with all the girls on their lovestruck days. I think that’s giving you an unfair opinion of them.”

“I’m pretty sure girls who live for pretty faces, causing drama, and keeping up with gossip isn’t unique to our school, Wataru. That might just be standard high school. I’m saying your sister has somehow managed to avoid most of those qualities and it makes her quite endearing. You’re going to have quite the challenge being her protective older brother when she starts dating.”

Wataru let out a groan and let his head fall forward to Yuichi’s knee. “Please don’t mention that. I’m pretty sure I’ve had actual nightmares of when she starts dating.”

“Why? Think she’ll find someone she can use to gang up on you?”

“Yes,” Wataru admitted without hesitation; it wasn’t fear, but a healthy respect for someone who proved she deserved it. “If they can handle Karin, I’d be easy pickings for them.” He wasn’t the most imposing figure, after all. Sure, he somehow managed to intimidate some people at school, but he wasn’t relying on it.

He felt Yuichi touch his forehead to the back of his head, not putting any pressure on him, just increasing contact. “There you go again, underestimating yourself.”

Wataru rolled his eyes and moved slowly to lift up his head, giving Yuichi a chance to pull his head away. Yuichi didn’t move far, though, hovering just in front of Wataru, his face filling Wataru’s vision and making his heartrate spike. He hoped he never got used to having Yuichi close, that he always had this rush of emotion that would make it so obvious that he loved him.

“You think she’ll be coming back in?” Yuichi asked in a low voice, revealing that his thoughts were along the same line as Wataru’s.

“Probably not.”

“If she does, it’s her fault.”

Yuichi’s hand moved to the back of Wataru’s neck and he pulled him forward to press their lips together. Wataru moved around, getting his legs underneath him so he could rise up a bit, allowing Yuichi to sit more upright. Then, as the kiss continued, Yuichi’s tongue pushing past Wataru’s lips to explore his mouth, Wataru started losing track of his thoughts. He actually lost himself to the feel of Yuichi’s kiss and the touch of his hands on his neck and around his waist at his back. So, when he felt the desire to be even closer to Yuichi, he just followed it. He stood a little taller and wrapped his arms around Yuichi’s neck. Yuichi leaned back against the chair, which pulled Wataru forward a bit and their chests pressed together.

Yuichi pulled away, took in a deep breath, then pressed right back into another kiss. Wataru let out a short moan at the wave of sensations flowing through him.

Maybe it wouldn’t take him as long as he’d thought to get used to being intimate with Yuichi.

Again, it was Yuichi who ended the kiss, this time trailing his lips along Wataru’s jawline and to his neck, not putting any sort of force into the attention he was paying to the skin over Wataru’s pulse so he didn’t have to worry about marks that wouldn’t be covered by the collar of his uniform. But in that, Wataru felt the shift in Yuichi; he was backing off, stopping himself before he got to the point where he’d be more likely to be pushing Wataru beyond his comfort.

It was so like Yuichi to do something like that, to consider Wataru above what he wanted. Because Wataru was certain just by the passion Yuichi put into his kisses that he likely wanted more than what they were doing now.

Wataru had no idea how far Yuichi had gone with someone intimately, didn’t know if he’d even gone out with another male before or if he was like Wataru in that it was a first. And he definitely wasn’t comfortable enough yet to ask. He wasn’t even sure if he really _wanted_ to know if Yuichi had gone all the way with someone, boy or girl.

And now Wataru just wanted his brain to shut back off. It would figure his mind would wander in a manner that gave him a reason to doubt if he was able to offer anything to Yuichi in this aspect of their relationship right when they stopped making out.

His legs and back were also starting to burn a bit from the hunched over crouch he’d ended up in.

He wanted to stay close to Yuichi, but there just weren’t many options where they were now and he wasn’t going to even think about the bed right now. So, he accepted easing himself away so he could sit back down, Yuichi hesitating in letting him go but still giving in. He returned to the position sitting on the floor that he’d been in, but Yuichi had caught his hand as he was moving away and was holding it against his leg.

Only problem was that it was his right hand. “This is only going to work until I have to write,” he stated, though he did note that Yuichi was also using his right hand to hold him so he would be limited as well.

“I guess you’ll have to find a way to convince me to give up your hand when we come to that, then,” Yuichi retorted easily enough as he repositioned his chair to be mostly angled towards the desk so he could return to his own work.

“Don’t expect anything complicated.”

“That’s about the last thing I expect from you.”

Yuichi was lucky Wataru didn’t kick the legs of the chair out from under him for that.


	10. Last Resort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frustration and desperation force people into action...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got my first kudo for the fic this past week and did the happiest happy dance and let out a fangirl squeal of excitement. Thank you!! Every bit of feedback matters so much more when it's a small fandom.

Wataru sank into the chair next to Yuichi, Kawamura on the other side of the older teen. He slouched back, his head hanging over the back of the seat as he heaved a deep sigh. How was Yuichi – who always got the attention of the girls at their own school – not getting flirted with as much as Wataru was? Karin must have outright recruited all the girls to flirt with him instead of Yuichi to make sure she got her revenge on him for making her worry about him. It was the only explanation as to why he was getting all the attention and everyone was basically ignoring the other two visiting boys.

The same two boys who were looking entirely too amused by how much Wataru was having to suppress his irritation. After all, he couldn’t be rude to the girls; it wasn’t their fault and he actually wasn’t very good at being rude to people he didn’t know. He usually just avoided the people involved when it looked like there was something building up.

“So, this is why you insisted on coming along even though I was with him,” Yuichi said, obviously to Kawamura, who laughed.

“Of course. He asked me to help him the last time Karin talked him into something like this and I swore I’d never miss it again,” Kawamura replied, sounding entirely too smug. “Once you really get to know him, it becomes like a game of figuring out what each girl said that irritated him based on the reactions he tries so hard to suppress.”

“He’s not horrible at hiding them from what I’ve noticed. Though this may be the best I’ve ever seen him do at hiding his emotions. He’s usually such an easy read.”

“Chivalry is not dead with this one, you’ll note.”

“Keep this up and you might be,” Wataru ground out at his friend. How was it fair that the one time the two flawlessly got along was when it came to teasing him? Just because he and Yuichi were dating didn’t mean that _this_ was the way he and Kawamura started to get along. Couldn’t they find literally anything else to build common ground on?

“Oh yeah, he’s reaching the end of his rope,” Kawamura sounded entirely too blasé about the threat. Sure, Wataru wouldn’t hurt his friend, but Kawamura used to try to avoid Wataru getting too annoyed with him; Wataru discovered a long time ago that Kawamura hated being ignored so a couple days not talking to him became torture to him.

It was sort of a Qilin thing, though Wataru now suspected it was also to do with the affinity that his friend would likely have with him if it were possible.

Either way, maybe it was time that Wataru reminded Kawamura that he knew about that particular dislike.

“Are you nearly done, Wataru? It looks like just about everything is set up,” Yuichi asked him and he opened his eyes and glanced around the gymnasium where the school was going to be holding one of their standard club festivals, letting the students show off what they’d been doing over the past few months. It was exactly the sort of thing that made Wataru not want to be involved with any clubs beyond what was absolutely necessary. Sure, it didn’t look as good on his college applications, but he accepted that consequence. He figured if his own capabilities weren’t enough to cut getting him into college, a few clubs listed on his paperwork weren’t going to make the difference.

“Yeah, I’m done. Karin’s about finished as well so I told her I would wait for her.” Wataru glanced over to where he’d left his sister but she’d already moved on somewhere else. She did a lot of coordinating on things like this so it was normal for her to never stick around the same spot for long. “So, if you guys want, you can take off. Not like you had to stay to begin with.”

“Oni targeting you. Nova pushing us around. Few days ago. Any of this sound familiar?” Wataru gave Kawamura a dirty look for that remark, but let it pass relatively quickly.

“I’ve got plenty of cover. I couldn’t be left alone if I wanted to be. Besides, with Karin’s revenge complete, the girls here have no more reason to ignore the two of you.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Stop it, Kawamura. Just because the love of your life has no interest in you doesn’t mean you should start looking at girls who are a few years younger than you.”

“You’re going out with a guy older than you. What’s the difference?”

“I don’t make the simple idea of girls who happen to be younger, even if not by much, sound creepy.”

“Hey!”

Yuichi interrupted them before they could really get going at each other. Too bad since Wataru had been planning to use their debate as a reason for people not to approach. “We’re already here. It wouldn’t make any sense for us to leave now. Just take a few minutes and relax until Karin is ready to leave.”

Wataru glanced over to Yuichi before letting out another sigh and slouching a bit further into his seat, crossing his arms, closing his eyes, and doing everything he could to seem unapproachable. He just needed a few minutes of solitude to regain his bearings and he could go back to being able to tolerate people and his general situation.

No one besides his friend and boyfriend were nearby, so it was actually pretty easy to distract himself from the sounds of any movement of people around him. He let his mind wander in a way he’d learned to do a few years ago when he’d really started to get impatient with people. Because while he’d always been introverted, it was mostly since he got into high school that he really started losing tolerance of being around others. So, he’d taught himself how to distance himself mentally when he couldn’t do it physically. He’d looked up different methods of meditation, found what worked for him, and practiced until it was something natural.

It was when he was doing these sorts of exercises that he imagined that he could actually feel the core inside him, that he actually felt he might be connected to the thing. It was heady and terrifying at the same time, because in that feeling it was also when he got close to understanding what it meant to be a user versus just being human.

It was a feeling he was getting right now, that sensation of power he had inside him. But it was just…there, pulsing in a counter rhythm to his heartbeat as if to prove that it wasn’t going to work for him. It hovered just out of his reach like it was teasing him. And there was nothing he could do to get any closer to it.

The Oni were wasting their time with him.

“I’m ready to go, Wataru,” Karin’s voice called out to him from a few meters away and he slowly opened his eyes, wanting to hold onto some measure of the relaxation he’d managed to find. He looked over to where his sister was walking up to them with a pleased expression. “You can be as irritated as you want about why you had to help out, but maybe you’ll feel better hearing that we all really do appreciate the help. We finished up so much quicker than we would have without you here.”

“You know if you ever just asked for me to help, I’d say yes,” Wataru replied. Karin had only ever had him do this when she felt he owed her a favor, which was constantly.

“I know, but you probably wouldn’t stay very long with how much attention you get.”

She was probably right. While he figured Karin told some of her friends to pick on him, he was aware that some of the girls were genuine in wanting to talk to him the whole time he was there. He figured it was a side effect of it being an all-girls private school. And then there were just so many of them that wanted to ogle at how alike he and Karin looked.

Karin turned toward the other two next to Wataru and gave them a bow. “Thank you for your patience. I didn’t think you were going to be waiting for us to finish.”

“It was no trouble,” Yuichi, of course, gave a polite response just before Kawamura laughed.

“You know I’d never miss this, Karin,” he added and she laughed in response; she knew him well, after all.

“Of course you wouldn’t, which is why I’m surprised he told you.”

“I didn’t,” Wataru interjected as he stood and grabbed his bag and uniform sweater from where he’d left it behind his chair, pulling on the sweater to have something to do. “He met up with us before we left school and Kazuki told him where we were going.”

Yuichi gave him a slight grin and shrug before adding, “How am I supposed to know what you keep secret from your best friend? I won’t be blamed for your absentmindedness.”

“And just because he doesn’t want me to see something I can tease him about doesn’t mean you have to go along with him. Isn’t that supposed to be a benefit of dating is that you can be supportive and their worst enemy?” Kawamura said as he stood and moved to drape his arm over Wataru’s shoulders.

Wataru just crossed his arms and glared up at his friend. “Reason number eighty-three why you’re still single.”

Kawamura feigned a hurt expression. “It’s not that high. And I’m not so sure someone days into a relationship should be able to make such a statement on me being single.”

“But I wasn’t _trying_ to get into a relationship. I was content being single; you’ve asked two girls out this week, one of whom you’ve asked out every other week for months.”

“How else am I supposed to know when it’s the day she’ll say yes?”

“At what point do you break into this sort of thing?” Yuichi asked Karin in a low voice, who stepped closer to him with a light laugh.

“I don’t. These two have been amusing me for years with these conversations. Besides, Kawamura gives Wataru access to basic human interaction he wouldn’t seek out anywhere else. He’s ultimately good for Wataru’s health.”

“Calling it ’conversation’ may be pushing the definition,” Wataru interjected, getting another laugh from his sister. She was in a good mood today, likely happy with finishing the set-up.

Yuichi stood and moved in to stand close, Kawamura reflexively stepping away from Wataru at the taller teen’s sudden proximity. Yuichi reached out and grasped Wataru’s shoulder briefly, a gesture that could be seen as just between friends. “At least you have some awareness of how ridiculous the two of you can be.”

There was a flicker in Yuichi’s expression, then. But Wataru hadn’t been paying close enough attention and it passed before he could figure out what it was. And Yuichi dropped his hand away so it couldn’t have been anything bad; Yuichi wouldn’t have broken his method of knowing Wataru was in danger if that’s what it was, he was sure.

Kawamura didn’t notice anything and continued on, “Well, Mr. Maturity, we’re apparently just better about being high schoolers than you are. Don’t you know, teenagers can be pretty ridiculous. And we’re younger than you so we’re allowed to be even more ridiculous.”

Wataru gave his friend a tolerant look, trying to ignore what he’d seen in Yuichi unless something else happened to prove it needed attention. Maybe he’d ask him later when they were alone or Karin and Kawamura were at least distracted. “I’m not agreeing to that.”

“Well, fine then,” Kawamura let out an excessive huff and crossed his arms as he turned away. “Come on, Karin. Let’s leave these geezers to their maturity.”

He turned and took a few steps away, then reached down to grab his own bag and held his elbow out and Karin jogged over to him to take it, playing along. They walked away and Wataru figured they’d both be grinning by now.

“I’m ready to be home,” he told Yuichi, who gave him a soft smile and retrieved his own belongings before moving back to Wataru’s side as they followed after the other two. They caught up to the slow pace they had set and the four turned in the direction of the Fujii residence, Kawamura and Yuichi as much seeing to Wataru’s safety as they were content to share company with the siblings for a bit longer.

They were stopped at a crosswalk, Karin and Kawamura animatedly discussing what her club’s booth was going to display, when Yuichi’s fingers brushed purposefully against the inside of Wataru’s wrist, pushing up the sleeve of his shirt slightly with the contact. Though he was familiar with the touch now, as Yuichi did it constantly whenever he was walking with Wataru to check his safety, Wataru still looked over at Yuichi to gauge his response. His expression was neutral, not giving anything away and that concerned Wataru.

Wataru turned a bit, facing himself more towards Yuichi than the other two to cover his voice a little without being obvious. “Kazuki, is something wrong?” he asked in as low of a voice as he could without it being missed. He had no idea how good Yuichi’s hearing naturally was.

“I’m not sure,” Yuichi responded distractedly. He wasn’t looking around them, not looking for a threat so his reaction was just confusing. “I can feel something but I just can’t place what it is. It’s not the same as feeling danger towards you, but things aren’t completely normal either.”

“Did you feel it before?” Yuichi made contact with him constantly so it couldn’t have been an issue until they were getting ready to leave.

“I first felt it at Karin’s school. It hasn’t been there at all through the day.” They’d met for a few minutes before school started, Kawamura having accompanied Wataru to school, and then again at lunch.

Wataru was reminded of something he’d read last night before going to bed, something among the relatively sparse reliable articles concerning unconnected affinities. He’d read that some cores tried to compensate for the lack of a connection with someone they were around constantly that couldn’t form that bond because of a lack of active core by altering the senses of the user to still have some hyper-awareness of them. They could get to that point of knowing when the other person was around even without an active, healthy, connected affinity. And Paladins, a disposition already hardwired for protecting others, were ripe for something like that to be a thing for them.

But Yuichi probably wouldn’t know if that’s what was going on so Wataru decided not to bother asking; Yuichi seemed to be mostly in the dark besides basic information when it came to affinities. Wataru didn’t even know if the older teen actually had any active affinities formed. He doubted there was a connection between Yuichi and his brother, but he didn’t know about other family members or friends in his own year. And he didn’t feel comfortable asking, feeling like it was a permanently sore subject because they couldn’t have their own affinity as long as the Ouroboros core remained dormant.

Not that he could be very thorough – Karin and Yuichi could tell him with more certainty about his health – but Wataru was pretty sure he didn’t feel any different. He felt the same as he had yesterday and last week and last month. So, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with him that Yuichi could be picking up on.

He wished he could do or say something that would help ease Yuichi’s obvious anxiety. It was important to Yuichi that he know what was going on. He liked that level of control, so that he didn’t know now was probably getting to him more than the feeling itself.

Deciding that worrying about it wasn’t going to help either of them feel better, Wataru decided to just go with it and hope for the best. “Nothing you can do until you figure it out but keep checking. Maybe one of the times you’ll recognize what you’re feeling and that’ll be that.”

“Let’s go, guys,” Kawamura called back to them as the crosswalk light turned green for them. Wataru turned to follow a few steps behind his sister and friend, Yuichi keeping hold of his wrist. That had happened before, where Yuichi sort of forgot he was still in contact with Wataru and it would take a while for him to let go.

Because while it flustered Wataru to have such contact between them in public, he didn’t dislike it and Yuichi never did it where it could be turned against them somehow, like around any of their fellow classmates.

They were about halfway across the street when Yuichi spoke in a low voice that shouldn’t carry up to the other two. “Not your worst vote of confidence, but there’s plenty of room for improvement.”

Wataru frowned over his shoulder to Yuichi. “I’m not a cheerleader, so you might want to get rid of the idea that I’m here to boost your morale.”

“I believe that’s considered your duty as my boyfriend, cheering me up when I’m depressed.”

“You aren’t depressed; you’re confused. Even I can figure out the difference. Besides, you might want to reserve a task like that for someone who isn’t so much of a pessimist.”

“Realist,” Yuichi corrected him with the term Wataru usually used to describe himself and he just rolled his eyes.

Wataru had just stepped up onto the sidewalk when Yuichi’s hand suddenly jerked away from his wrist and he turned to see the other teen fall away from him, curling his body into an instinctive roll. Wataru wasn’t able to follow the movement past that as his arm was grabbed and he was thrown forward. He tried following the momentum of the motion, recover his balance, but he wasn’t let go, the firm grip remaining on his arm and he was continuously driven forward. He only stopped when he was pushed into the side of the nearby building, barely able to turn his body enough so that his shoulder took the brunt of the impact instead of his chest and face. He had barely lifted his free hand up to try and push away from the wall when he was pulled around, his back pressed against the wall instead and he came face-to-face with an unfamiliar man.

Knowing better than to let the guy get any more advantage on him, he tried to get his hands up to push the guy away, get some distance between them, but he didn’t get very far. With one hand still holding tightly to his bicep, the man’s other forearm was suddenly pressed against Wataru’s shoulder and Wataru was lucky he wasn’t so far into his reaction that he didn’t push forward any more: he was holding a knife at his throat.

Wataru blocked out the sounds of people panicking around them, hoping at least someone’s panic meant a call to the cops or the U.E.A. This was the first time he’d been obviously attacked with so many people around. He wondered what was different now.

Out of his peripherals, Wataru made sure to catch sight of the other three, checking that they were alright. Kawamura had pushed Karin behind him and was holding his hands in front of him defensively, a shimmer surrounding his skin to show how prepared he was to activate a shield if he needed one. Yuichi was still crouched low to the ground about a meter away, his body tense and his expression burning with rage; it wasn’t an expression Wataru liked seeing on Yuichi’s face. It wasn’t right.

His attacker hadn’t moved since settling in to his position and Wataru took the chance to focus in enough to take in his features. He was only a few inches taller than Wataru, his eyes about even with the top of Wataru’s head. His facial features were angular, sharp, almost like he was emaciated, dirty blonde hair buzzed short and flat green eyes making the pale skin look more on the unhealthy side. But his build was solid; not bulky, but strong to the point that Wataru thought maybe the unhealthy look came from time barely passed where he wasn’t in the greatest of shape. And the look in his eyes, it was scary in how intense it was. It wasn’t cold or unfeeling like the Nova’s had been, but this was someone willing to do whatever he had to.

Wataru got the feeling this was someone calling the shots. Something about this felt a lot more intentional than the subtle marking of the Shade or the assault of the Nova.

Was it too early to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and think he’d attacked Yuichi first so he wouldn’t sense the threat coming? That just felt like what had happened.

“I hate Paladins,” the man suddenly mused, Wataru actually tensing a bit in surprise. He was _right there_ in front of him and he’d still been thrown off by the man growling out that declaration. “They’re always so _good_ about protecting people. It’s irritating. And here you had to go and buddy up with one right when we found you. Five years of tracking down where that core went nearly wasted because you made a friend.”

Wataru’s heart was pounding so fast and he was concentrating so hard on making sure he stayed absolutely still. He wouldn’t make this guy hurt him, not when the three people closest to him were watching. Because he wasn’t such an idiot that he’d think there was anything this guy could do to him that he couldn’t arrange to have fixed before Wataru died. And there was no guarantee that he was alone.

His hands were losing feeling, he was gripping them so tightly into fists at his side, the skin of his fingers and palms tingling.

“You know it’s dormant. I can’t do anything with it,” Wataru said in a low voice, trying to conceal the tremble in his throat.

“Frustratingly dormant. And if it was going to awaken in response to a threat against you, it would have already. That’s the thing about cores: you can only predict and manipulate them so much before it comes down to force.”

“A Nova wasn’t ‘force’ enough?” Wataru blurted out before he could think better to stop himself. He really did know that it was a bad idea to irritate someone holding a knife at his throat, no matter how likely it was he wouldn’t kill him.

The guy had connections to a Shade and a Nova: it wasn’t unreasonable in the slightest that he knew a Regen as well.

The man smirked down at him, amused at least but there was still a measure of danger to the expression. “Apparently the wrong kind of force because you remain dormant. Though it did tell me something useful about you: you’re willing to give yourself up to protect these people. You’d rather step out from behind their muscles and shields than have them hurt because of something entirely your fault. And they will get hurt as long as they stand between you and Oni.

“Because that’s the truth of the situation: the kind of Oni I and the others working with me are the ones the Devas warn the world about. We aren’t those pathetic low-class criminals that get lumped in with us because no one wants to put effort into giving them a different designation. Sure, the Devas and the U.E.A. know better, but people don’t and that’s why we’re ahead in this fight between users holding themselves back to conform and those willing to realize all that cores allow us to attain.”

Yuichi was moving, slowly but steadily trying to get close enough to them to do something to get the man away from Wataru and Wataru was having to make a conscious effort to not look towards him and potentially give him away. They didn’t know what his disposition was so there was no way to know what the range of his threat was. But it had to be less dangerous than a knife lined up with Wataru’s jugular.

But, as long as this guy was willing to keep talking, the better chance they had.

“You’re not any better than any other criminal out there, core or not. Cores don’t make people stop being human, no matter the term we decide to attach to you. Oni, felon, psychopath, it’s all just different words given to the same sort of people.” He was stretching things a bit, trying to get the man irritated so he’d be distracted. Yuichi had to be close enough so his speed would beat the slight motion it would take for Wataru to be very dangerously injured. Because he was still moving, he obviously hadn’t gotten there yet.

“We may still be human, but cores make us better. It’s about time the world caught up to that fact.”

Wataru didn’t even consider that the man would act, but suddenly he pulled away from Wataru, turning his body slightly towards his left and in the same smooth motion threw the knife he’d been holding on Wataru right at Kawamura. The act was so quick that Kawamura had barely moved when the blade stabbed into his chest. Surprisingly, once the knife plunged into Kawamura, he was knocked back as if he was physically struck, falling back into Karin and they both went down in a tangle of limbs.

Wataru then felt a sudden short burst of wind knock into him, not enough to have the force to push him around, but it was enough to tell him exactly what had happened: this guy was a Sidhe, a wind Elemental. He’d basically just shot Kawamura with a thrown knife.

The shock passed, but before Wataru could even try to take advantage of the loosened grip on him, the man stepped around behind him, his right hand coming around his shoulder to squeeze his neck and the other hand coming around his arm and Wataru was able to see the glint of another knife being held pointed toward his chest. At that angle, he’d likely puncture Wataru’s lung if he stabbed him and he was in a much more secure position and further away from the threat of Yuichi sneaking up on him.

And Yuichi looked frustrated that he’d made such a move.

Wataru struggled a bit, trying to get some slack in the grip and not caring about the knife for the moment. Actually, he didn’t really care about anything except making sure his best friend was still alive. He must have been obvious in his intention because the hand loosened just enough for him to turn and get a good look at Kawamura.

Karin had pulled out from underneath the larger teen and was reaching for the knife to pull it out, her hands already shimmering with the concentration of her Regen abilities. And Kawamura was curling forward into himself, trying to get at the knife around Karin’s hands, likely a little delirious from the pain.

But he was alive. He was even conscious. And Karin would heal him up and he’d be okay.

Whoever this guy was, he deserved whatever the Devas decided to do to him when they caught him. And they would because that’s what the Devas did. Or at least claimed to do.

Wataru was getting ticked off quickly, watching as Kawamura continued to bleed while Karin pressed her hands against the wound and started healing him. She likely wouldn’t be able to do it alone, not being experienced enough to competently handle the internal damage, but at least she could keep him from bleeding out. He didn’t even realize that he’d started pulling against the grip on him until he felt the tip of the knife held on him press against his skin to the point of nearly breaking the skin.

Yuichi stood from his position and the Oni turned just a bit to angle Wataru more between the two of them. He then tightened his hold around Wataru’s neck and urged him to sidestep away from Yuichi, obviously looking for his way out and he’d created an opening by striking at Kawamura.

“I don’t remember giving up to you,” Wataru exclaimed once they were a few steps closer to the two on the ground.

He swung his left arm forward harshly, creating space between his body and the knife to remove the immediate threat. The hand around his neck tightened but didn’t stay that way as Yuichi sprung forward and knocked into the two of them to break them apart, making a grab for Wataru’s arm and yanking him away. Wataru wasn’t able to keep his balance and fell forward from the momentum, Yuichi obviously tapped into his core to enhance his physical strength based on the force of the pull. Wataru fell about a foot away from Karin and rolled over onto his back as quickly as he could so he didn’t lose track of what was going on.

Yuichi was fighting the Oni, doing everything he could to stay between them while defending himself against the swings of the knife. He was succeeding so far, managing to avoid getting cut, but Wataru figured it was only a matter of time before the Oni tapped into his own abilities again. And if he was a Chimera, there may still be more danger than what they’d seen.

Somebody _had_ to have called in the U.E.A. Sure, it had only been about a minute or two, but this was a public area and even though people had gotten their distance quickly, someone still had to be near enough to see the fight happening and be doing their due diligence about contacting authorities, doing something to help.

Realist or not, Wataru had to hope people weren’t that disappointingly selfish.

“Wataru, help me,” Karin called out to him and he turned to see how the two were doing. Kawamura looked pale, his expression pinched with pain, but the bleeding had stopped. So, Karin had only been able to close the wound. Kawamura was still injured. “I haven’t learned enough to know for sure if I fixed the damage correctly beyond closing the wound. He’ll need a licensed Regen or doctor. But we can at least get him out of here.”

“Right,” Wataru responded as he rotated around to a crouch and quickly crawled around Kawamura to take his right side while Karin took his left, the two bringing an arm over their shoulders and standing him up.

“What about Kazuki?” Kawamura asked, then let out a hiss of pain as he was jostled a bit from the height difference between the three of them.

“He’s alright for now. Remember, he is a Paladin.” Wataru attempted to sound more convincing than he felt; he was afraid for Yuichi, afraid that he’d turn back and see him hurt or worse.

They’d only made it a few meters when Kawamura let out a yelp and stumbled suddenly and ended up taking Wataru down with him, Karin able to slide out from under his arm so she remained upright even as she tried to keep him from falling as well. Kawamura pulled his other arm out of Wataru’s hold and Wataru turned toward him just as he reached down and grabbed at his leg, a knife sticking out of his thigh.

This Oni was determined, Wataru would give him that.

Wataru looked back to see that Yuichi and the Oni were still fighting, both of them bleeding from minor wounds. Yuichi had a few cuts along the outside of his arms while the Oni’s nose, mouth, and a cut to the side of his left eyebrow were the only injuries Wataru could see. The Oni also hadn’t pulled another knife, so either the one he’d thrown was his only other knife or Yuichi hadn’t given him the chance to take out a third.

“Well, this sucks,” Kawamura groaned as he squeezed at his leg.

“Be careful, that’s close to your artery,” Karin warned him as she kneeled down at his side again.

“I get the feeling he isn’t going to let us get much more distance from him,” Kawamura ground out between clenched teeth. He was about to say something else when he looked past Wataru and let out a quick cuss before holding both of his bloodstained hands in front of him and pushing out, a pale glow of his Qilin power bursting forward in a concentrated line. Wataru turned to follow its path, watching as it struck into the Oni, who had apparently started charging them, Yuichi laying on the ground a ways away, moving but not regaining his feet. Kawamura’s strike knocked the Oni down and seemed to hit him solidly enough to knock the breath from him.

Wataru couldn’t look away from Yuichi, who was looking like he was having trouble getting his feet under him with any stability, making Wataru’s worry for him spike again. Again, he felt the anger building inside of him. It was different this time, though: instead of feeling guilty for being targeted by these Oni, instead there was just anger focused at the person attacking them.

It wasn’t his fault these people were choosing to live their lives hurting others, it was theirs. They were choosing to cause pain to get what they wanted. And what they wanted, they had no right to take. Just because the Ouroboros core had been given to him didn’t make it any less his responsibility, his core.

His hands were tingling again.

The Oni was regaining his bearings, rolling to his feet and Wataru barely caught the motion of his hand reaching beneath the bottom of his shirt. Brown eyes fixed on Wataru, who stood as well, feeling like he needed to be ready. He caught the slight lifting of the corner of the Oni’s lips just before his gaze looked past Wataru.

There was only one person they hadn’t tried to hurt yet.

Wataru turned and lunged towards Karin, who was still focused on Kawamura. His arms wrapped protectively around his little sister and he used his momentum to turn so he was between her and the Oni, his back exposed to the threat.

He’d been ready to feel a knife stab into him, sure that the Oni had reached for one and had been moving for the throw. And Wataru wasn’t a Paladin or trained at all in these kinds of things, so he couldn’t move all that fast.

Instead, there was a sudden burn from his left temple that traveled down his spine and into his hands. It didn’t hurt, necessarily, but it was a pressure he’d never felt before.

The ground beneath him shuddered and, leaning over as he was, he couldn’t keep from falling over. Not wanting to fall on Karin, he turned his body a bit but was surprised that he didn’t fall all that much. He ended up at an odd angle, like he was on a steep hill. Wataru opened his eyes and looked around himself, though he couldn’t see much. He knew he still had a secure grip on Karin, but there were only a few spots of light around them.

“Wataru, what happened?” Karin asked him, sounding as confused as he felt, which relieved him as much as it concerned him. Relieved because she was alright and concerned because she didn’t see what happened either.

“I have no idea.” He let go of her and felt around him. “Concrete? He’s a Titan too? I mean, I know it’s not entirely rare for an Elemental to control more than one, but earth and wind is just a harsh combination.”

No wonder the Oni hadn’t been too fast about getting a hand on Wataru again if he could trap him like this so easily. Though he did wonder why the Oni hadn’t used it sooner. It had to be easier than the knife throwing.

“I didn’t see him move like a Titan Elemental. Maybe his Titan disposition is from a Dragon core,” Karin said absently, but then Wataru heard her moving around before their enclosure lit up with the glow from her phone. It was literally like the pavement had just closed up around them, leaving jagged edges and barely enough room for them to move around. Wataru reached for his own phone, turning it on and looking just a bit closer as he heard Karin dialing a number, likely emergency services. She was better tasked for that, more used to conveying information in a concise manner.

He amended his earlier thought: the concrete hadn’t risen up, but apparently had twisted into place. The edges were from where the concrete had split from being forced out of where it had set. Concrete was, after all, not supposed to be malleable.

But shouldn’t that not matter to a Titan?

“They said the U.E.A. is almost here,” Karin said to him as she disconnected the call. “They were called just after he attacked but didn’t have anyone nearby. An ambulance will be sent out for Kawamura. We’ll be fine.”

What about Yuichi, though? He hadn’t been standing, hadn’t been fighting. What if he was worse off now than when Wataru had lost sight of him? What if the Oni had trapped Wataru in this so he could take Yuichi out without worrying about anyone getting in the way?

And with there being absolutely nothing they could do about getting out on their own. Maybe if Kawamura or Yuichi were stuck in here with them, but not with a Regen and someone with no active core.

Karin was at his side then, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezing slightly. “We’ll be fine, Wataru.”

Wataru let out a short growl of frustration as he shouted, “It’s not us that’s in danger! Yuichi and Kawamura are the ones out there with an Oni!” His frustration peaked and he couldn’t stop himself from giving in to it enough to slam his hand down against the concrete in front of him.

The concrete bowed out around his hand and Wataru had to reach out with his other hand to catch his balance with there suddenly being nothing under his hand. It was only a few inches, but it was still enough.

He was stunned, silent and still as he struggled to figure out what the hell just happened. His palm was pounding, not in a way like he’d just struck concrete, but a dull pulsing that he was pretty sure matched his heartbeat. He turned his hand over and stared at the skin of his palm, watching as a ripple of energy faded from sight, leaving just his hand in front of him.

But whether or not the energy was visible, the image was burned into Wataru’s mind and he recognized it for what it meant, having seen it many times now from Kawamura and Karin.

He did this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The update next Saturday will mean changes to the tags. From that chapter through the rest of the fic, it will officially be a crossover. There will be a pretty influential presence from Shion and Nezumi from No. 6. I didn't plan for it to happen when I started writing the fic, but then there they were and I just went with it. It will still be from Wataru's perspective and there will not be a pull of focus from this fandom, but the other two are prominent enough to warrant the tags. Besides, they have their own story that is currently being worked on and so it isn't like they are removed from the overall story that I have. ^_^


	11. Agent's Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things can't be kept a secret anymore and Wataru gets the last advice he would have ever expected to hear...

Karin was looking at him with about the same expression of shock as he had. She would have seen exactly what had happened, the glow of her phone’s screen still lit up and their eyes having adjusted to the low light peeking in between cracks of their enclosure.

An enclosure he’d apparently created in his panic to protect his little sister from the Oni. He hadn’t done it on purpose, of course. How could he when he didn’t even know a core had awakened in him? He didn’t even know if this was the ability of a Titan, as he’d thought when he believed the Oni to be responsible, or if this was a completely different disposition. What dispositions responded to physiological movements? He couldn’t remember, not that he’d ever cared enough to pay anything but passing attention to details like that.

He was panicking now, and he knew it, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. All the thought he’d put into the possibility of the Ouroboros core connecting with him and awakening meant nothing when that wasn’t what happened.

“Wataru, calm down,” Karin’s voice called out to him just before petite hands roughly grabbed his face and he was pulled around to look into familiar eyes that were almost as dark as his own yet still brown. “Take a deep breath or you’re going to pass out.”

He’d been working himself up well, apparently getting to the point of hyperventilating. And considering they were in a confined space that he created that he had no idea how to get them out of, it was a bad idea to not have his breathing under control.

Not that thinking about it like that helped actually calm him down, but he was able to take in a deep breath and hold it in for a few seconds before releasing it slowly.

Then he felt the warmth of Karin’s hands and knew she had helped him out a bit there. One of her friends suffered panic attacks and she’d learned how a quick touch of a Regen’s active core could have a calming effect, able to influence the chemicals released in the brain of another to some extent.

“Karin, it was me,” he breathed out in his shock, still not breathing well and only slightly removed from the possibility of hyperventilating again.

“Yeah, I guess it was. Good, that means that it wasn’t the Oni trapping us, but you protecting us. That’s a much better option.” That was a really good point and was much more effective to calming him down.

“I can’t get us out,” he admitted. “I don’t feel anything like I do when I’m around you using your abilities. I don’t know what to do.”

“That’s alright. You don’t need to be the one to get us out. Help is already on the way and we’ll…”

She was interrupted by a familiar voice calling through one of the small gaps. It was quiet but they still heard it. “Wataru!” Yuichi’s voice immediately caused Wataru to let out a heavy sigh of relief. Knowing that Yuichi was alive and well enough to be yelling for him meant he would be alright. He wasn’t dead, wasn’t seriously hurt by the Oni.

“Kazuki!” Wataru called back as he maneuvered around to where he heard Yuichi’s voice from. “We’re alright. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. The first responders got here and are pursuing him. He took off as soon as they came within sight. We’re safe for now.”

That meant they still had plenty to worry about.

Yuichi kept talking though, didn’t give him a chance to work himself back up about it. “I might be able to get you guys out of that. There are enough gaps that I can get a good enough grip and break through.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for help?” Karin asked, always one to remain calm and thinking things through, no matter the situation.

“I can try.”

Yuichi was going to be stubborn about this, apparently not wanting – perhaps not able – to wait any longer to know for sure that Wataru was safe. This wasn’t something they’d win arguing with him about.

“Move back, Karin,” he said as he took a light hold of her arm and tugged her away. She looked back at him and must have realized why he wasn’t putting up an argument about it because she leaned back beside him.

They heard Yuichi groaning in effort – enhanced strength of a Paladin or not, he was still pulling concrete apart – before there was the echo of the concrete separating. There was a shift in the angle of the light bleeding in, but that was it. Then Yuichi was straining again and another piece broke off.

It took a few tries for him to find the right way to grab so that he was able to remove a substantial chunk and Wataru was able to get a clear look outside. Then Yuichi’s face appeared on the other side of the hole and Wataru found himself moving forward without thinking.

There was a deep gash on Yuichi’s temple, spanning from just within his hairline to halfway over his eye, the left side of his face covered in blood from the wound. It was likely the reason he had been on the ground and unsteady when Wataru had seen him before trapping himself and Karin. Even now, Yuichi looked a little unsteady, like his determination to get Wataru out was the only thing keeping him going.

“Kazuki, you really should stop,” Karin said from just behind Wataru. “You probably have a concussion and it can be dangerous to use your abilities when your concentration is compromised, even with a cardiac-based core.”

“I’ve almost got it. One more good piece like this and you two are out.” Yuichi was already taking hold and starting to pull before he finished talking. He strained for a few seconds before the concrete gave and the hole practically doubled in size with the chunk that fell off. It should be big enough for both he and Karin to squeeze through, now.

Karin shook her head at the older teen. “Isn’t he supposed to be the smart one out of the two of you?” Wataru didn’t bother answering, just indicated for her to go first, moving to the side enough for her to reach through the hole with one hand and start to ease her way out, moving slowly to avoid scraping herself too roughly against the concrete edges where her uniform left her arms and legs exposed. She’d already be bruised plenty later, there was no reason to add more blood to their day.

As she worked her way out, Wataru looked down at his hand again. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, if he wanted to see the shimmer of a core’s power visible around his skin or if he wanted it to have been a figment of his imagination, that it had been the Oni’s fault. He just didn’t know what he wanted.

That scared him more than the Oni.

Everyone thought about becoming a user, Wataru knew. Whether they had one form before they were born, or had one awaken in infancy, childhood, adolescence, teens, or adulthood, or wondered if they would have a second one awaken to make them a Chimera, or ended up never having one form and awaken, everyone thought about it. It was one of the few things that could immediately turn someone’s life around, for better or worse.

And Wataru had been no different. His harsh opinion of cores, users, and the enforcement organizations for them had been formed even before the Entrusting. He’d just never liked the feeling he got when the subject came up. As he got a little older and understood more about the world, he figured out that it came from fear: the first time he remembered seeing a user utilizing their abilities in some movie, he’d been afraid that people could do something like that. And the more he learned, the more afraid he was of it.

He wasn’t any less afraid now, especially considering that what he was capable of had ended up being so…destructive.

He could have killed himself and Karin because of what he did. He could have hurt Kawamura even more because of how close his friend had been to the two of them when Wataru had ripped apart the concrete.

What else was he capable of destroying?

He jumped and let out a short yelp as a hand grasped his suddenly. He looked up to see Yuichi reaching through the hole he’d made, his head and shoulder pressed in as well to span the distance more easily.

“Come on,” Yuichi urged him, his voice tense. Wataru nodded and let Yuichi tug him forward towards the hole.

He was able to work himself out a bit faster than Karin had, his sweater and pants removing some of the danger of getting cut up. His shoulders made for the tightest squeeze and Yuichi had to help him maneuver a bit to work his way out. Once his shoulders were clear, he was able to push himself out much easier, Yuichi stabilizing him while also pulling on him to help him that little bit more.

He draped his arm around Yuichi’s shoulders as his hips passed the hole and most of his weight was outside the enclosure he’d created. Yuichi’s hands were holding his hips up, keeping him balanced until he pulled his feet out through the hole and set them on the ground beneath him.

He turned back to look at what he’d done from the outside and grit his teeth: it looked even worse on the outside. The concrete had been torn away from the ground in a star-pattern to fold up around the central point where Wataru and Karin had been. What had been left behind was uneven ground and rough edges that hadn’t come apart easily.

But there’d been no effort on his part to cause this.

That just made it all seem worse. Every use of cores he’d seen so far – from the Nova, Karin, Kawamura, and Yuichi – had all taken work from them. It had never been something that just happened with a lot less damage as a result. Not even the Nova, an Oni with a disposition more obviously geared toward destruction, had left an impact like this.

Wataru was pulled from that line of thought as Yuichi’s arms wrapped tightly around him, pinning his arms to his side and pulling him from the crouch he’d been in to practically sit on the other teen’s legs. It took Wataru a second to recover from the surprise of the sudden embrace, it’s intensity uncharacteristic for Yuichi; while he could get passionate with his touch, but this wasn’t the same thing.

Once he did move past the initial surprise, he placed his arms loosely around Yuichi’s waist and rested his forehead against Yuichi’s shoulder, feeling himself relax as well having Yuichi right there and alive.

He realized quickly that he should have expected that reaction, considering how the attack had gone down. And Yuichi had already been off because of whatever he’d been feeling right before they were hit. It felt like they’d really lucked out this time around, that even if Wataru hadn’t just destroyed the sidewalk, this would have still been the last time they handled it on their own.

Which, Wataru recalled suddenly, they actually hadn’t. They were only in the clear now because someone had called in the attack. The U.E.A. were the reason the Oni had left.

“Kazuki, let me check you,” Karin suddenly said from a few feet to their side and Yuichi pulled away enough to look over his shoulder to the younger Fujii. Wataru looked over as well, his eyes going past Karin after confirming she was still alright and seeing Kawamura on the ground behind her.

It looked like he might have been thrown back a little, or had rolled away when Wataru tore up the sidewalk, because he was further away than Wataru remembered. He was laying on his back, still enough that Wataru couldn’t tell if he was awake or not. The patches of red on the front of his chest and on the back of his left leg caught Wataru’s attention and Wataru sat a bit more upright, Yuichi allowing him the freedom to do so by relaxing his grip.

“Kawamura?” Wataru called out, though his voice was choked and he wasn’t sure if it was loud enough for his friend to have heard.

“He’ll be alright, Wataru. He’s lost blood and another Regen will have to fix his wounds better, but he’s not in danger. But let me check Kazuki. If he’s got a concussion, I can at least take care of some of the swelling, make sure he didn’t cause himself any trouble by keeping his core active after taking such a hit to the head.”

Wataru nodded absently, sliding away from Yuichi and to the ground in front of the other teen, who shifted his position to sit close beside Wataru, one hand still extended to hold onto Wataru’s, their skin touching so that he could ensure he knew Wataru remained safe. Karin walked the short distance to them and briefly took Wataru’s other hand, giving him a comforting look before turning her attention to Yuichi, moving her hand from Wataru to his temple and going to work on healing the wound there.

She had to be running low on power herself. Wataru didn’t know what her limits were, but he was pretty sure she’d never used her abilities this much in such a short amount of time.

As she was working on Yuichi, the cut on his head closing slowly as if to prove her waning strength, emergency vehicles came into view and parked around them, the sidewalk suddenly a wave of activity.

Wataru panicked at first, thinking that they’d make him and Yuichi separate – he didn’t want to leave Yuichi’s side and knew Yuichi didn’t want to leave his – but as soon as a man stepped forward wearing a jacket stitched with the emblem of the U.E.A., Yuichi announced himself to be a Paladin and Wataru under his guard. Then, just as it looked like the agent was about to protest, Yuichi reached under the collar of his shirt and pulled out a small pendant on a chain around his neck. Wataru had seen it before briefly, the pendant that was given to anyone approved by the Protection of the Paladins Organization to act on their behalf, but he’d never imagined that it would actually have such an immediate acceptance of Yuichi’s position and statement regarding Wataru.

Wataru sort of tuned out as the agent started asking Yuichi about what had happened, his attention back on Kawamura as a pair of men from the ambulance moved to either side of him. Karin had moved back toward them, announcing herself as a Regen and telling them what injuries she’d treated and to what extent. As one of the men talked with Karin, the other pressed his hands to Kawamura’s chest, the skin letting off the familiar soft glow of a Regen. Maybe the other one wasn’t a user. Wataru remembered that being a common practice since Regen’s abilities worked by increasing natural healing speed so it didn’t work on its own for everything.

Wataru recognized in himself that he was trying to avoid thinking about the real issue. He was trying to ignore his part in all this until he was called out for it.

“He said his name was Hajime Midori and the only disposition he exhibited was as a Sidhe Elemental.” Wataru turned toward Yuichi when he heard that. He was surprised that the Oni had revealed his name.

“Do you know why he told you his name?” the agent asked.

“It seemed like he was bragging, as though he was certain he was going to get away and it would be something we’d be looking for from now on. He was certainly intent on bragging about pretty much everything else about his intentions.”

“Do you know why he attacked you?”

Yuichi glanced over to Wataru, the agent following the motion and giving Wataru a suspicious look.

“Yeah, we know why,” Wataru answered.

“We’ll take over now,” another voice spoke from a few meters away and Wataru looked over to where another pair of young men with the same jackets announcing them as U.E.A. walked toward them.

Yuichi leaned closer to Wataru and whispered, “They responded to the Nova attack. They’ll recognize me and Kawamura.”

Wataru took a closer look at the two approaching and that was when he actually noticed how young they were. They had obviously taken advantage of there not being a harsh age restriction for U.E.A. applicants – Wataru heard that the youngest there’d been had been thirteen – though they didn’t put them in a position of opposing Oni until they were older. These two were probably Yuichi’s age, maybe a year older, tops. If they were in a position to tell others what to do, then they’d probably been around for a while and had the dispositions to back them up.

The taller of the two was striking, intimidating, and not just because he was taller; Wataru was used to that. He wasn’t even too much taller, definitely not as tall as Yuichi. His build wasn’t even that much more solid than Yuichi’s; he was fit but the way he carried himself was what put Wataru on guard. This guy was dangerous. He had slate black hair, the bangs hanging down haphazardly into his face while the rest was pulled back in a tight ponytail at the crown of his head and his eyes were a metallic grey that Wataru had never seen the shade of before. And Wataru recognized something in his posture and positioning because he saw it in Yuichi all the time: he was protective of the other young man with him.

As for the other one, there wasn’t much about him that Wataru could actually identify. He was wearing a beanie and sunglasses so there was no way to see his eye or hair color. He stood about as tall as Wataru, the top of his head coming to the other agent’s chin. Even his build was hard to determine because of how loose the jacket he wore was. But even with as little as Wataru could identify about him, he realized he wasn’t actually worried about him. He just didn’t feel like he was dangerous, like he was the exact opposite of the taller agent with him.

He wasn’t sure what he should think about these two.

Wataru watched them as they stepped closer, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk so they were still just over a meter away.

“Yuichi Kazuki, right?” the shorter one asked, his voice kind in a way that reminded Wataru of Karin, and Yuichi nodded in response. “A Nova attacked you only a few days ago and you claimed that you didn’t know why.”

Yuichi glanced over at Wataru again, who gave him a slight shrug. They were done being able to keep things quiet.

“We were trying to keep anyone else from being involved, especially the Devas,” Yuichi answered.

“Fair enough,” the taller of the two muttered. His grey eyes focused on Wataru, which made him feel like he was under a microscope for the intensity there. “I’m assuming you were there the other day and they just didn’t tell anyone that.”

Wataru nodded, his throat tight as his nerves really began to build.

The shorter agent looked up over his shoulder and gave his partner a look Wataru couldn’t see from his angle. “Why don’t you get Kawamura’s side of the story, Nezumi. I’ll talk to these two.”

“Why?” he sounded more irritated than curious, and Wataru recognized it as a tone he used when he wasn’t too happy about being told what to do by certain people.

The other agent wasn’t deterred at all though, as if he was used to that sort of response. “Because these aren’t Oni and intimidation isn’t what we’re going for. Let’s face it: you don’t go for any other approach.” He was teasing his partner, Wataru realized just before the taller agent, Nezumi, rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets and turned towards where the emergency workers were giving Kawamura some space as he sat up slowly.

“Whatever. We lost the Oni anyway, so it’s not like we’re going to get anything of use from them now.”

That just got a laugh from the smaller agent. “Not with that attitude.” He turned his attention back to them, though seemed to focus more on Wataru. "I'm Shion, Shion Himura and my partner over there is Nezumi Kaneda. We run investigations into new Oni threats for the area for the User Enforcement Agency.”

“Wataru Fujii.”

“It’s nice to meet you, regardless of the circumstances.”

“Right.”

How was Wataru supposed to handle this? While he knew there was no point in trying to lie anymore, that didn’t help him figure out how he was supposed to tell someone with authority of how to respond to his situation. Not even talking to Shohei was of any use figuring it out.

Shion turned to sit on the edge of the sidewalk, barely facing the two of them and he took off his sunglasses before looking back at them.

Red eyes? That was possible in a person? Was it something to do with the guy’s disposition? He’d found that a few weeks ago, that cores sometimes affected physical features like eye and hair color, sometimes even caused scarring when they first connected with the user’s system.

Speaking of scarring, the bottom of the sunglasses had partially covered the discoloration of a scar on Shion’s left cheek, the skin tinted a dark red, almost like a burn but without any breakdown of the actual skin. It was as if someone had just drawn a thick line along Shion’s cheek and had left it there.

“I’d really like to know why you withheld the information that the Nova the other day was attacking you, Wataru,” Shion said in an even voice, though it still sounded as soft and kind as it had before, just more curious now.

Wataru felt a little less uncomfortable about being questioned.

But then he realized that Shion had stated that they knew Wataru had been the one the Oni were after. Wataru was pretty sure they hadn’t actually stated that, just that Wataru was there.

Yuichi shifted next to Wataru, moving forward so he was just a little bit between Wataru and Shion rather than angled a bit behind his boyfriend. Shion didn’t respond to the movement at all, though Wataru was certain he’d noticed.

At least he better have noticed, being in law enforcement for users.

“I have something they’re interested in,” Wataru answered, finding it just as difficult to be direct about revealing the Ouroboros core now as it had been when he’d told Yuichi. Would it ever feel natural to talk about it?

“An uncentered core, right?” Shion said when Wataru didn’t elaborate.

Yuichi made a much more deliberate move to get between the two of them, obviously connecting Shion’s knowledge with a threat. He was still obviously reeling from the attack and quicker to see a threat.

Wataru wasn’t sure there wasn’t actually a threat. Just because these guys said they were U.E.A. didn’t mean they weren’t a danger.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any offense by that.” Shion actually flushed a little and he reached back to scratch at the back of the beanie nervously. “I just see it.” He tapped his temple with his finger and gave an easy smile. “I’m Clairvoyant.”

So, he could literally see the core. That’s all Clairvoyants did: they saw cores. Some could even tell dispositions, but that wasn’t as common and what Seers were for.

Shion looked off to Wataru’s side, taking in the sight of the destroyed sidewalk folded up on itself. “It didn’t do that, though. There isn’t a disposition for an uncentered core that can do that sort of thing, so it must have been from the core centered in the left hemisphere of your brain. My guess would be Esper.”

Wataru didn’t recognize that one. But glancing over to Yuichi and seeing the surprised look he had meant he knew what it meant.

“It just happened,” Wataru admitted instead of asking for clarification. He’d get an answer eventually. “I wasn’t a user until a few minutes ago. The Oni, Hajime, he was going to attack my sister. I made a dive for her, put myself between them and then it just happened. The ground closed up around us. I didn’t know it was me until I saw my hands; they still had the residual charge.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely the power of an Esper. So, the other core, the uncentered one, it’s dormant.” It wasn’t a question, Shion already knew the answer. So, Wataru just nodded his answer. “Do you know the disposition?”

“Yeah, it was Entrusted. An Ouroboros.” Wataru wondered if Shion had actually heard him, he’d spoken so low. But Shion did give him a nod.

He then leaned a bit closer to the two, lowering his own voice in a way that wouldn’t carry to the other agents only a few meters away checking the area. “We didn’t learn anything from the Nova we secured the other day. Custody of him was taken by the Devas before we could really even ask.” Shion looked at Yuichi before continuing. “Your brother is a Deva, correct?” Yuichi nodded after a few seconds, likely not having expected Shion to know that connection. This guy was apparently good at his job. “I recognized your name when we met the other day. It’s been a while, but I have worked with him before. I’m also aware of the Deva’s policy on dormant cores. However, you should be aware that now you have an awakened core, it voids their sealing requirement.”

“Why tell us that?” Yuichi asked, his voice even and careful.

“Because what happened here and with the Nova is becoming more and more common and I’m recommending you to apply to the Devas.”

It took a few seconds for that to really register with Wataru before he sprang to his feet in sudden anger, Shion standing as well, though it was obviously from being startled by Wataru’s sudden motion. “What!” he exclaimed.

Yuichi rose beside him and placed his hand on Wataru’s elbow, though he couldn’t tell if it was to try and calm him down or to be in contact with him for sensing a threat. Shion waved dismissively over to the other agents, who had started moving back toward them, obviously letting them know everything was fine. Wataru looked over to Nezumi, who was poised to attack – Wataru had seen Yuichi training enough to recognize how the posture Nezumi held now was one ready for a fight – and didn’t automatically relax. It actually took another few gestures from Shion to get Nezumi to relax in any measure and even then he kept his eyes locked on Wataru and Yuichi.

“You don’t want to get involved with the Devas, right? That’s the reason you object?” Shion took another few steps closer even as Yuichi moved defensively between them. “Regardless of the faults in the Devas structure, it doesn’t change the fact that they represent the safest place to be. As a Deva, you will always have protection, not only because you are surrounded by users trained to fight Oni, but you will receive training as well. You will learn how to protect yourself and the people you care about. That’s important to you or your core wouldn’t have awakened to the threat to your sister. And, if you are an Esper, you’ll need training. You were lucky no one got hurt because of your instincts today.”

That’s what Wataru was afraid of, that he’d hurt someone.

But still…

“Why the Devas? Why not the U.E.A.? You guys are trained just the same.”

Shion gave him a slight smile. “There are quite a few differences between the training requirements and regiments between the Devas and the agency because of who is accepted. But beyond that, we’re a little too much on the front line, too public. You need anonymity if this core isn’t one the Oni are going to give up on.”

But therein lie a fundamental problem with Shion’s suggestion, a problem that actually had nothing to do with Wataru’s opinions.

“I don’t qualify for the Devas.” Chimeras weren’t allowed.

Shion’s smile grew and he actually looked a bit proud about whatever it was he was going to say. “Only active cores are required to be included on the application. And you aren’t a Chimera unless you have more than one active core. You aren’t a Chimera, so, fundamentally, you qualify.”

Was this guy for real? He was actually telling Wataru to hide a core from the Devas while working for the Devas. The number of ways that was messed up was so far beyond anything Wataru had expected from an agent with one of the user law enforcement organizations that Wataru wasn’t sure how to react.

But, the thing was, Shion was obviously telling him this as a means of seeing he was protected. It wasn’t like he was telling him a loophole just for the hell of it; he had clear intent behind what he was doing and it was…altruistic. Wataru believed without a doubt, no matter that he’d only known Shion for a few minutes, that if Shion thought Wataru would be better with the U.E.A., he would have suggested that.

Shion looked up at Yuichi, the smile fading and he took on a more serious expression, but not to be intimidating. It looked like he was waiting for an answer to something he hadn’t asked yet. “May I?” he then asked before nodding over to Wataru.

Yuichi took a few seconds and actually looked between the two of them a few times before he let out a tense sigh and stepped away from Wataru, surprising the other teen. Either he was calming down or he did actually realize that he didn’t need to be suspicious of the agent. Shion closed the last bit of distance to stand off to Wataru’s side, then leaned in close enough to whisper to him.

“The Devas reputation is harsher than they are and that’s on purpose. Give them a chance to do you some good. Everyone has secrets they can keep from the Devas, Wataru, even me. And I’m horrible at keeping secrets.”

Shion didn’t give him a chance to reply, stepping away towards Nezumi, who had crossed his arms and was looking at Shion with something close to exasperation.

“Wait…” Wataru started, then wasn’t sure what he actually wanted to say.

Shion turned back around once he got a few steps away from Nezumi. “We investigate Oni. Hajime Midori is our concern and will be the focus of our investigation and report, not civilians.”

For some reason, that made Nezumi look even more irritated.

“If you decide to take my suggestion, make sure you put my name on the application. That’ll help things along.”

Wait, so this guy who was barely older than Wataru had some sort of influence with the Devas? Was this day just going to be dedicated to destroying his preconceptions about the Devas or was Shion just really convincing because of how genuine he seemed in everything he said?

“If you don’t mind taking a few minutes to go through a detailed accounting of what happened today and with the attack from the Nova with Nezumi, that’ll be all we need.”

“And just what were you guys talking about up until now?” Nezumi asked of Shion. “Here I thought you were actually doing things sensibly for once.”

Shion ignored him. “It’ll just take a few minutes.”

“A few minutes” unsurprisingly meant more like half an hour, but they were still all able to leave afterward with very little indication that there would be anything further to happen.

Wataru just didn’t know what to think about anything that had happened that day.

* * *

There were times when Wataru wished his parents were home more often.

He remembered when he and Karin were younger when both of his parents would regularly be home to eat dinner in the early evening instead of heating up what Karin had made later when they got home. They would talk to and play with the siblings, make sure they were doing well in school, and be a close family.

Wataru was in his second year of junior high when the promotions had come in only about four months apart and their schedules changed to span all hours of the day. Wataru hadn’t really minded at the time: he was plenty independent by then and reveled in the opportunity to prove that he was responsible enough to take care of Karin. Sure, there were days when he wanted to come home and be able to talk to his mom or dad about something that had happened at school, but it would pass and he’d move on. He never thought they were any less of good parents, though. They still made sure at least one of them made parent-teacher meetings, they used the weekends to catch up with their kids, and when they were all together it was like nothing had changed.

Though, today, Wataru was never more grateful that they worked long hours and there was no chance of them seeing the state of their children and two friends after being attacked by an Oni.

Kawamura and Yuichi made for some frightening images alone, barely cleaned up from the blood they’d spilled even if the wounds were treated. And Wataru and Karin were already showing bruising where it could be discerned from the dirt of rolling on the ground and pulling themselves out of Wataru’s mistake of a barrier.

Wataru had already turned down Karin using any more of her strength on him. It was just small cuts and bruises and they were in places that would be covered by his clothes, so he wasn’t worried.

They’d rotated through the two bathrooms, Wataru and Karin going first so they could change into casual clothes while Kawamura and Yuichi took their turns. Wataru was able to find one of his larger shirts that would at least fit Kawamura so he didn’t have to put back on a shirt that was covered in blood, but there was nothing he had that would fit Yuichi. Then, Karin and Kawamura disappeared into the kitchen, the younger Fujii throwing something together for them to eat to take the edge off using their abilities and she’d told Kawamura to help. Wataru had gone to the living room and sat down heavily on the couch, letting out a deep sigh as his mind continued to race.

It hadn’t stopped since he’d seen his hand ripple with power.

He heard someone walking toward him and figured it was Yuichi, knowing that his boyfriend – he still wasn’t used to that – would still be wanting to keep close to him. But instead of sitting next to him like Wataru expected, Yuichi kneeled down in front of him, placing his hands on Wataru’s sides just below his ribs. Wataru felt himself relax a bit at the touch, getting more and more comfortable with the idea of Yuichi’s hands on him and recognizing it as the show of love it was. He leaned forward to touch his forehead to Yuichi’s, letting out a more relaxed sigh as his eyes closed and he let himself just feel Yuichi there.

“I can’t stop thinking,” Wataru admitted. Honestly, he didn’t care if Yuichi responded with one of his sarcastic quips; that’d be preferable to what Wataru’s mind was putting him through right now.

Instead, Yuichi let out a sigh of his own and his fingers tightened into fists, grabbing Wataru’s shirt. “I’m not any better off. I didn’t know it had been you until you got out and said so. And I couldn’t tell if he’d trapped or crushed you until I got closer and saw how it was formed. But I still…I thought you might be dead. Now, it doesn’t matter how much I feel that you’re safe when I’m touching you, it’s like I can’t accept it.”

“Was that why you kept trying to pick a fight with someone who wasn’t a threat?” If it had been any other situation, that may have seemed like Wataru was trying to start a fight himself, but not now, not when they weren’t so far removed from the threat.

“Yeah. It was like I couldn’t tell the difference between threat and ally. I had to force myself to help Karin out of the enclosure before you. I’m not used to losing control like that. It shouldn’t have happened.”

“None of this should have happened!” Wataru pushed himself away from Yuichi and stood up, his frustration rising too quickly for him to control. He took a few steps away from Yuichi, deliberately facing away from him as he grit his teeth and clenched his hands.

“Wataru…” Yuichi began but Wataru didn’t let him get any further.

“The Oni are wasting their time with me. Isn’t it obvious that the Ouroboros core isn’t going to awaken? If it was, it would have done it by now! But, no, nothing they do is ever going to get it to connect with me because it’s not mine. Not attacking me, my friend, my sister, or the person I love is going to get them what they want!”

It took about three seconds of silence for Wataru to realize what he’d actually said. He’d admitted out loud that he loved Yuichi.

And it hadn’t been as difficult as he thought it should have been. Sure, Yuichi had told him multiple times now, but Wataru was a lot more careful with admissions like that; it was something you didn’t come back from, after all.

He barely heard Yuichi move up behind him before long arms wrapped around him, sliding under his arms to cross over his chest and down his sides. He was pulled flush against Yuichi’s body, his back pressed securely against Yuichi’s front.

He felt safe, protected, when he’d expected to feel trapped.

Oh well, he’d known he loved Yuichi. Maybe it was time Yuichi knew it, too.

“You aren’t a waste of time, Wataru.”

“Oh, really? They push me and rather than the core already completely formed inside me making the connection to me, a whole new one takes shape instead. How much more obvious could it be that I’m not supposed to have this core?” Wataru had lost much of the strength behind his argument, his response almost listless. It was more like he was denying it just to say that he had.

“The Esper core didn’t form then, that’s just when it responded to you.”

Wataru looked up over his shoulder but couldn’t see Yuichi as the taller teen had curled his head forward and was resting his forehead on the back of Wataru’s neck.

“Meaning?”

“It’s what I was feeling before we were attacked. It’s likely the Esper core formed a while ago and awakened within the last few days. Then, it made the final connections to you today and you had the right thought process connected to the physiological motion to get it to fold the sidewalk up around you and Karin.”

There was plenty about that Wataru wanted to question, but he was reminded of what was most pressing to him right now. “What is an Esper?”

“It’s telekinesis.”

“Why don’t they just say it then instead of giving it some fancy name,” Wataru muttered darkly. He heard Yuichi chuckle a little before he felt him press a quick kiss to the crown of his head.

“It’s one of those that the name was given to it when there was still a measure of mysticism about the whole thing, when we didn’t understand how they worked.” Even facing away as he was, Wataru still felt the shift in Yuichi’s mood, turning serious once more. “It’s pretty rare and supposed to be a strain for the user to do anything. Most whose power has been recorded couldn’t move anything much heavier than they were.”

“And I probably tore up a car’s weight in sidewalk without meaning to.” Giving in to how Yuichi’s embrace was actually helping him to calm down, Wataru leaned his head back, moving to the side of Yuichi’s so he could rest back on his shoulder comfortably. “What’s the chance of it just being a first use flare in power?”

Because so many cores awakened in response to a threat, it was common for the first use of a person’s core to be beyond what they are later able to accomplish. Afterwards, it was also common for power spikes to happen because of stressful or dangerous situations where the cores responded to spikes in adrenaline and survival instinct.

“I can’t say why I’m sure about this, but I doubt that’s the case.”

“Maybe because of the Ouroboros core? Maybe it gave the Esper core a boost?”

“Maybe. Ouroboros don’t require much actual power to operate but they gather and disperse excess energy just the same. Yours has been gathering with no dispersal for a long time now. Maybe it just found a different way to get rid of that build up.”

That brought Wataru’s mind back around to the Devas, to their solution, and then to what Shion had suggested.

“Was Shion that strange when you met him the other day?” Wataru asked.

“He never spoke to us. He just watched as Nezumi questioned us like he did today. I’m not sure what Shion’s position is with the U.E.A. but I get the impression he’s not like the rest. And it isn’t only because everyone listened to him when he told them to do something, even Nezumi who I get the feeling doesn’t listen to anyone.”

Wataru recalled his own impression of Nezumi. “He protects Shion.”

“How so? It’s not like they were in a position for you to see something like that.”

“I think Nezumi is a Qilin. He reminded me of Kawamura in some of the ways he moved and positioned himself. Well…” That wasn’t quite right and Wataru felt like he had to verbalize this a bit more accurately. “…not just like Kawamura. Yeah, some of the position he had looked like Kawamura, but the way he moved around Shion and responded to him, it reminded me of you. And you protect me.”

The strength Yuichi put into his hold increased and Wataru had to exhale a bit at the sudden force. It didn’t stay that way, but it was still enough to know that Yuichi was bothered by what he’d said.

“I couldn’t today. Nothing I did was enough to protect you. Hajime beat me. He took you from me, threatened you, held a knife on you, attacked you.”

“Two knives. The first one he threw at Kawamura. I guess he threw the second one at Kawamura, too, now that I think about it. Kawamura had a really tough day, actually.”

Yuichi’s arms pulled out from under Wataru’s arms, grabbed his shoulders and spun him around to face toward Yuichi, Wataru looking up at him evenly. He’d mostly expected some sort of response and had been hoping it would be something like this. He’d wanted to be looking at Yuichi again but couldn’t find the resolve to actually turn around.

“I don’t care about Kawamura. I care about you!”

Wataru reached up and cupped Yuichi’s cheeks with both hands, making sure they made solid eye contact.

“And I care about you. But I’m right here. Hajime didn’t take me away from you; he put some physical distance between us. We do that all the time. We’re still together and we have the chance to do something about this, to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Yuichi’s expression was still, shocked. “You’d actually consider it? Even with how you feel about them?”

“I’m weak. I can’t fight for myself. But I can’t stand to have other people fight for me. And you may be a Paladin, but you don’t spend your free time fighting Oni. Hell, you only pull attitude with me so you don’t fight anyone. If Oni aren’t going to be letting up, then we need to be ready to meet them and really come out ahead. We’ve been lucky so far.”

“What if the Devas aren’t the answer?” Yuichi asked smoothly. He’d gotten past his surprise easily enough and his expression was now thoughtful, his tone challenging. He’d make sure Wataru thought this through.

Not that Wataru felt like he _had_ thought this through. It was just what felt right and he was tired of struggling.

“I don’t think Shion would have made the suggestion if he didn’t actually believe what he was saying. He’s honest, a lot more honest than you usually see in people. But he told me he’s been able to keep a secret from the Devas.”

“Wait, he’s honest, but lying to the Devas?”

“I know it doesn’t really match up, but I believe him. I honestly think he’s trying to help any way he can and he thinks this is the way to go. I think…maybe he understands where I’m coming from, my situation, better than anyone.”

“You know there are dispositions that allow people to influence the thoughts of others. What if you just got yourself manipulated exactly where they want you to be?”

“Well, then you would have picked up on that. You’ve sensed when someone was going to yell at me even when you weren’t on high alert.”

“I’m going to be flattered by your faith in me, if only because I’m too exhausted to argue.”

“I don’t believe in people who don’t deserve it, Kazuki. You know that. Besides, you’ll still be there with me, if that’s where you want to be.”

They just stood there for a few moments, eyes locked, Wataru’s hands holding Yuichi’s face while Yuichi kept a grip on Wataru’s shoulders.

Yuichi’s expression gave first, relaxing and he gave Wataru one of the most loving expressions Wataru had ever been given.

“You aren’t weak, Wataru Fujii. You’re the strongest person I know.”

So, was that him agreeing?

Yuichi leaned forward and stole a quick kiss.

“I think you becoming a Deva is about the worst idea I’ve ever heard, even with me there. But, if you’re accepted into their training program, I guess there’s some possibility you’ll pick up something useful.”

Wataru found himself frowning a bit up at Yuichi. “I guess we’re in complete agreement, then. Don’t get me wrong: my opinion of them hasn’t changed. Just my circumstances.”

“Nice to know you’re still as much of an idiot as before. An awakened core should never change that.”

“Yeah, well, you get to stick around and be on my side when I tell my parents.”

Wataru didn’t think he’d ever seen Yuichi look panicked in quite that manner before.

Not that Wataru didn’t understand: he wanted Yuichi there because he planned on telling them exactly why Yuichi was going to be with him.

After all, with an active core, it was only a matter of time before an affinity formed between them. There was no question of how either of them felt and their cores would reach out to each other and intertwine as their hearts already had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never intended this fic to have characters from any other fandoms involved, but as I was writing I realized that I was heading exactly for there to be involvement from others that will have significant roles overall and suddenly Shion and Nezumi were there. It just made sense and I long ago found that it does me no favors to ignore following where a story takes me. Story is the most important thing after all. Well, hope that you enjoyed and I'll see you next week.


	12. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wataru has to ask for help from the agents he just met when things continue to spiral down...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To any returning readers, I have edited a few paragraphs near the end since I've now written Nezumi and Shion's fic and some of the dialogue here didn't match the events that actually ended up happening. Nothing major.

It had been a busy few days, leaving Wataru drained no matter how much he rested.

He and Yuichi had told Wataru’s parents about what had happened. At least, they’d told them an abridged version that excluded attacks on Wataru by Oni trying to get their hands on his Ouroboros core. They’d only told them about the Esper core and that Wataru believed it was best if he applied for the best training to learn how to control it.

They had also informed them that they’d been dating for a little while and Yuichi would be altering his status with the Protection of the Paladins Organization to be partnered with Wataru, no matter where that put him. It was a standard practice to keep those with an affinity with a Paladin together.

That had been the end of the already long, exhausting day of Hajime’s attack.

The next day, he’d skipped half a day of school to take care of submitting his application to the Devas before he thought about it anymore and found an excuse to change his mind. Because he knew anything that meant him not doing this would be an excuse.

He’d told Kawamura that things would change if he ever became a user, that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the same ways of thinking that he’d had before. His opinion of the Devas hadn’t changed, but his position in regards to them had.

He’d been told he’d be contacted within the week for follow-up on the application. That was when his core would be evaluated, them determining if the power he was capable of utilizing would be enough to qualify for training.

The day after that had been a surprise of a stressor: Yuichi had asked Wataru to meet his parents as well. When he’d gotten irritated about the short notice, Yuichi had at least looked remorseful and explained that they’d both had a change in plans that meant they’d be home that evening. And once Yuichi’s own status change with the Paladins was confirmed, they would inform his parents anyway and he wanted to tell them before that happened. And since the Paladins were as efficient as the Devas, he had a matter of days before the process was finished.

“I thought you were already going to the Devas,” Wataru had said to Yuichi, finding conversation to distract him from his nerves as they walked to the Kazuki residence. “What change is there to be submitted?”

“I’m not going to the Devas anymore. I’m going with you, who happens to be going to the Devas. Huge difference, Wataru,” Yuichi answered smoothly enough but Wataru was getting good at picking out the fluctuations in his tone that showed more of his emotion than his expression.

Yuichi had been just as nervous about Wataru.

But things with Yuichi’s parents had gone as smoothly as it had with the Fujiis; affinities were difficult things to really argue with, especially for those who experienced them as well. And all four of their parents were users who had strong affinities with their spouses. Wataru got the feeling that Yuichi would be having the embarrassing discussion of why they hadn’t said anything sooner once he was gone – that’s what his parents had done – but they were entirely civil and accepting of Wataru as far as he could tell.

“Shohei has already managed to have the ideal family so it takes some of the pressure off,” Yuichi had admitted as he was seeing Wataru home. He’d taken Wataru’s hand then and squeezed it tightly, Wataru noticing the difference between him checking his safety and wanting to touch him. “Not that I would live to someone else’s expectations if he hadn’t been the perfect son.”

“Never crossed my mind,” Wataru responded honestly. Yuichi may not be as belligerent as Wataru was, but he was plenty stubborn and did have a history of only getting involved in what he was interested in while being intelligent enough to bend situations to his will when it was a matter of obligation.

So, a stressful string of days had led up to where Wataru was now: staring up at the building belonging to the User Enforcement Agency, trying to find the resolve to actually go inside.

Wataru had gotten the return call from the Devas that morning before school and had skipped out after lunch to come here, not telling Yuichi or Kawamura so they’d go with him but sending a text to them once he’d arrived so they didn’t worry.

Well, the call had been one of the reasons he was there, but he was really trying to avoid the other reason until he couldn’t anymore.

He was showing up unannounced to see agents he’d met once because he didn’t know anywhere else to go. Yuichi wouldn’t know what to do so he had to go for more experience and he was at a loss of anyone else to ask.

He hated how aware he was that standing out there wasn’t helping him one bit.

The door opened and two people walked out, talking to each other and not even looking up at Wataru. But the sudden activity broke Wataru out of his stall and he made one foot step in front of the other, moving steadily towards the door and through it a lot sooner than he wanted to.

Inside, it looked like any other reception area instead of where agents of the U.E.A. worked daily. There was no glass or bars to separate the front desk workers from people coming inside like at some police stations. There were no signs that this was a place for law enforcement and Wataru felt that was either a statement of confidence that anyone attacking would be stupid for doing so or that the protection wasn’t as obvious as regular humans had to rely on.

He really needed to start looking into things like that if it was going to be part of his life.

Wataru wasn’t sure if he was grateful or irritated that no one was keeping the receptionist busy as he walked in, so her eyes went right to him. He noticed her glancing down at his uniform and there was a brief frown to convey that she’d figured out immediately that he was cutting school to be there.

…Way to go for subtle…

“Can I help you, young man?” she asked politely once he was close to the desk.

“I’m looking for Shion Himura. I need to talk to him,” Wataru blurted it out, then felt his cheeks warm at how insistent he’d sounded because of his nerves. He was going to have high blood pressure by the time he hit eighteen if this kept up. He took in a deep breath to slow himself down. “Can I see him?”

Her expression softened a bit and Wataru had the thought that someone walking into this building stressed out and asking for someone working there probably wasn’t that rare of an occurrence. “Can I get your name so I can tell him who’s here?”

“It’s Wataru Fujii. We met a few days ago,” he replied.

“I’ll tell him you’re here. Go ahead and take a seat and I’ll be right back with you.” She indicated over toward the line of chairs off to the right of the doors and he gave her a bow of thanks before he went over and slumped into one of the seats.

This was the right thing to do. He needed help and Shion had seemed so ready to offer him help. If he was wrong, well, he’d be facing consequences soon enough. But he wasn’t feeling like playing it safe right now. He had to take a chance or he’d never make any progress.

He was rubbing his face with his hands, trying to relieve some of the pressure that had been building behind his eyes from all the tension he’d been putting himself through today, when someone stepped up next to him and he jumped up to his feet.

Looking over, he recognized Shion’s partner, Nezumi. The guy seemed as unapproachable as he’d been when they met the other day, his expression not cold but closed off. This was someone who kept as much as he could hidden and Wataru wasn’t good enough at reading facial expressions and body language of people he didn’t know well.

“What are you doing here?” Nezumi asked. His voice was deep, smooth, something you didn’t mind hearing, no matter if it didn’t sound all that kind. Kindness wasn’t everything, after all, and Wataru wondered if he’d imagined there to be something different about hearing Nezumi speak. Sure, he’d talked the other day, questioning them, but Wataru had been _really_ distracted.

Wataru glanced over to the receptionist, who was looking at her computer screen and typing away like she was genuinely not paying attention to them: Wataru couldn’t tell if she was or not. Did she call Nezumi or did he just happen to come out front? He really should have paid attention like Yuichi was always telling him to.

He wasn’t going to tell Yuichi he’d been right about that.

“Well, then I’m leaving,” Nezumi suddenly declared and Wataru felt himself panic a bit: what if she had called Nezumi because no one got through to see Shion without going through Nezumi?

“I need help.”

Wataru had always hated admitting that and he rarely ever did, and never to a stranger. But he was backed into a corner, so what else was he supposed to do?

He took in a deep breath and made sure he sounded less desperate. “I need help and I think Shion can help me.”

“What possibly gave you that idea?”

How much risk should Wataru take with Nezumi? How likely was it that Shion would just be telling him what happened with Wataru later?

“I need to keep a secret from the Devas while they’re training me.” Nezumi’s eyes narrowed, a mix of suspicion and shock crossing his expression. “Shion told me that’s something he can do. And I don’t…I don’t know a lot of users. And none of the ones I do know can help me.”

Nezumi just looked at him for easily a minute, his gaze as intense as it had been when they’d met. This guy seemed to live off instincts, didn’t seem to give off the same feel as everyone else, but Wataru couldn’t get a handle on what it was. Either way, that difference made Wataru uneasy, which made maintaining eye contact all the more difficult.

“Lucky you, that’s on a very short list of things you could have said that would get you back to see him,” Nezumi suddenly announced as he turned and walked toward a door off to the left of the counter, pulling a key card out of his pocket and scanning it over a sensor to unlock the door. He pulled the door open and then turned to wait for Wataru. It took a few seconds, but Wataru shook off his surprise and quickly stepped through the door before Nezumi passed him and led him through the halls deeper into the building.

So, Wataru had been right: Nezumi was the real key to getting in to see Shion. It was completely his call.

Wataru wondered if he was right about more: “Are you a Qilin?”

Nezumi pushed his hands into the pockets of his jacket, his stride not breaking and he kept his eyes forward as though Wataru hadn’t said anything. “What makes you think I’m a Qilin?”

“Your posture, how you positioned yourself the other day around Shion, it reminded me of Kawamura and he’s a Qilin. Not that it matters, I was just curious.”

“I guess there’s some hope for you if you were able to pick that up.”

Wait, did that mean he was right about that too?

“Shion’s pretty good about that, too: picking up on things most people overlook and figuring out what’s going on because of it. Then again, even without his dispositions, he’s still officially a genius. At least, he’s a genius when his ‘stupid’ isn’t in charge.”

If Nezumi hadn’t been able to keep that hint of fondness out of his tone there at the end, Wataru would have been sure he didn’t actually like Shion, that he really thought as harshly of him as his words indicated. This guy was actually really good at keeping things under wraps and if Wataru hadn't spent the last few months figuring out Yuichi, he probably wouldn't have recognized that much. He might have noticed, but wouldn't have been able to figure it out because he did  _notice_ things.

And Kawamura had always said he had good instincts about people.

Nezumi opened another door and indicated for Wataru to enter, the agent following a step behind and closing the door. It was an office with a desk on either wall, the chairs facing away from each other. Shion was seated at the desk to the left, typing away on his computer, documents spread out on either side of him as he worked. Though, it was obvious that the mess wasn’t one long-standing: the only mess came from what he was working on and his desk was clean besides that. The other desk, likely Nezumi’s, had files and books piled high around the edges and Wataru would have been amused at the contradictions if he were more relaxed.

Besides, once he actually looked at Shion, he was a bit more distracted: he had white hair. It wasn’t pale blonde or even just grey, like some people whose hair went grey early in life. It was actually white.

That combined with the red eyes meant it was a lack of pigment, then?

He kind of understood why Shion had worn something as unprofessional as a beanie the other day. While both he and Nezumi had been dressed casually, it had still seemed strange and a step further than investigating something in jeans and nondescript button-up shirt.

Shion had turned toward him and gave him a kind smile and Wataru was again struck by the red eyes and scarring on his cheek. This guy was likely more used to people staring than Yuichi.

What had happened to him?

Shion stood from his chair and gave Wataru a bow of greeting. "Wataru Fujii, right? I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Wataru responded as he returned the bow. Apparently, they had just called Nezumi and Shion didn’t seem to be too thrown by that.

“What can I do for you?”

Wataru took in a deep, calming breath. He wasn’t as anxious as he’d been before but that didn’t mean he was relaxed about this. “I did what you suggested, applied for training by the Devas.” Training by the Devas meant you served as one for a minimum of two years; it was why there was never a guarantee that you’d be given training. If they denied the request, they would at least give recommendations of where to go. “I was accepted.”

Shion’s look of relief seemed so genuine but Wataru just couldn’t understand how someone who had met him once could be that emotional about it. “I’m glad to hear it. I still feel it is the safest course for you rather than merely applying for their protection.”

“Though why you wouldn’t just do that remains a mystery,” Nezumi stated from behind Wataru.

He’d be telling them anyway, so no point in mincing words. “Because it wouldn’t have been just a matter of protection.”

Shion looked more thoughtful now. “You know more about the uncentered dormant core? You know the disposition?”

“How could he? No one can tell a dormant disposition,” Nezumi declared what would normally be the truth. “People are lucky if they even realize a dormant core exists.”

“Yeah, that’s usually the case. But when your grandfather is an Ouroboros and entrusts the core to you off the record, you get an unfair advantage in the knowledge department.”

Shion looked past Wataru, obviously to make eye contact with Nezumi. “That explains the Oni’s interest in you, why they have attacked you twice now,” he mused.

“Three times,” Wataru corrected. “The first one was a lot more subtle, using a Shade. We think he was more of a way to confirm that I was who they were looking for.”

“That’s not a really reliable way to spot a core, especially an uncentered one. They can sense the mark, but not where it is,” Nezumi said, sounding like he was working things through.

“I figure if they knew enough to try and mark me, it was the last test.”

“How’d they figure that much out if it wasn’t a documented entrust?”

Shion answered instead, “Ouroboros are the only users who can conduct an entrust completely beyond the knowledge of others. However, if one is going to pass their core along, they still use another Ouroboros to complete it. The process requires that connections be made after it is within the recipient, which can’t be done if the person who gave the core transfers it: they don’t have the disposition anymore.”

“So, your grandfather purposefully gave you a core you wouldn’t be able to use?”

“He said if I was meant to use the core, then it would awaken for me. He was the kind of person who believed that someone wanting to give you their core didn’t mean you were the right person for it. And he did it off the record to keep me from having to deal with the protections required for Ouroboros. I had just turned ten and didn’t want the core.”

“So, you want to make sure the Devas don’t learn of the core or they will enact the protective measures?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Wataru muttered.

Hoping Nezumi would be able to realize he wasn’t trying to hurt either of them and attack, Wataru lifted his hands in front of him, palms facing up and relaxed open. He closed his eyes and slowed down his breathing: four seconds to inhale, hold for four seconds, four seconds to exhale. He could pick out the warmth of power within him a lot quicker now, doing this throughout the day since the attack on the street so he went into training with _something_ practiced. And he’d read a lot of articles from scientific journals as well as personal blogs that claimed this sort of exercise made for a good basic start.

He latched onto the pulse of power within him that was always synchronized to his heartbeat, letting it build up in his left hand. Then he shifted his focus to the pulse that countered his heart rate, gathering that energy into his right.

This morning had been the first time it had worked.

And when he opened his eyes and looked down, he saw exactly what he had seen this morning: both of his hands were shimmering with a core’s power, but his left was clear and pulsing while his right looked like there was a shadow over his hand.

He looked up to Shion, who looked about as shocked as Wataru had been a few hours ago.

“The Ouroboros core awakened. I’m a Chimera and need to know how to hide that from the Devas for the duration of my training and my time working with them. And a seal doesn’t hide that it’s there or make me not a Chimera, so that’s not an option.” Shion remained silent, his eyes fixed on Wataru’s hands, so Wataru released the control he had on his flow of power and stepped toward Shion in the sudden rise of emotion, of frustration. “You said you’ve kept a secret from them. Considering what we were talking about, it was like you meant you were hiding a core from them, that you were succeeding. That’s what I need.”

A strong grip took hold of his shoulder and pulled Wataru back a step and he remembered Nezumi being protective of Shion. Apparently, he’d seemed too aggressive and got the other agent on guard.

That seemed ironic, Wataru Fujii making someone think he was a threat.

Shion looked toward Nezumi and gave him a stern look. Wataru glanced over his shoulder and saw the other agent just looking right back, and they seemed to be saying a lot to each other with those looks. Both looked to be holding their ground about whatever they were thinking and Wataru wondered if this was a common thing. Both of them seemed like headstrong individuals, independent and set in their ways.

After a few tense seconds, Nezumi let go of Wataru’s shoulder and stepped back to lean against the wall next to the door, crossing his arms and seeming to accept whatever it was Shion had wanted but clearly not happy about it.

Shion looked back to Wataru and his expression was as neutral as Wataru had seen from him so far, though when he spoke Wataru guessed he was likely just thinking things through. “Uncentered cores are becoming more common, almost as though each generation allows us to become more in tune with these abilities that form within us. However, Ouroboros remain as rare and coveted as ever, being one of the few dispositions that can immediately turn the balance between the Oni and those who stand against them. It never even occurred to me that the dormant core would be an Ouroboros; you were too unlike the few I’ve met with that disposition.”

Wataru figured it wasn’t supposed to be an insult, but he still felt a bit miffed about that. “How so?”

“An Ouroboros requires complete confidence in their ability. If they falter while utilizing their ability, best case scenario is the destruction of the core they are handling and the backlash causes permanent damage to the Ouroboros as well. Worst case scenario, all involved in the transfer die from the shock.”

Wataru thought he might feel a little sick now. He had no idea that was a risk of entrusting cores. He wondered if many in the general population did; he thought if they did, very few people would actually want to do it.

“You held no confidence in your core awakening. You were terrified of the power inside you. That is dangerous for an Ouroboros.”

Having it put that bluntly forced Wataru to face that it was a true statement. Sure, he hadn’t necessarily been avoiding thinking that’s how he felt about what happened the other day, but he’d admit that he had been starting to sugar coat it just a little in his mind to deal with it. So much about the last few days - weeks, really - had been a struggle to deal with that he hadn’t even stopped to think about whether or not he was making things more difficult.

“I didn’t know that about Ouroboros, that it was that dangerous,” Wataru admitted quietly.

“Assumed you’d never awaken the core,” Nezumi stated.

“That and hoped it wouldn’t happen. I didn’t want to be a user. Don’t want to be a user.”

“Yeah, well, lucky for you, you are twice over now.”

Wataru wondered what the consequences would be for trying to kick Nezumi, if he could catch him by surprise enough to get him enough for the retribution to be worth it. The guy just really rubbed him the wrong way.

He instead focused that frustration on trying to make his point. “That’s why I’m here. I’m not some naïve kid: I know that I’m going to have to face up to my status as an Ouroboros, take responsibility for the core and not just because my grandfather wanted it. The core is awakened and that means it’s mine now. But there’s only so much someone can face at a time and I met my limit when I ended up with another core that is just about as rare and isn’t abiding by the standard of how much I’m supposed to be capable of doing by a long shot. I destroyed a three-meter radius of concrete and didn’t even feel a strain. And since that ability is controlled with motion and can be activated instinctively, that takes priority. Everything to do with an Ouroboros’ abilities is intentional so I’m not likely to throw my hands up and kill someone. Despite my feelings towards them, I’ve checked into it and the Devas are my best option for training my Esper abilities. Now, can you help me or not, Shion?”

“Shion, this isn’t a good idea. No one but me knows about you and that’s been part of what’s kept you safe. We don’t know this kid; he could just be as good as you.” Wataru frowned, not understanding as Nezumi pushed off the wall and took a few steps closer to Shion, showing how insistent he was in his opinion. “And what’s to say anyone but you can actually do what he’s asking?”

“I can’t be the only one, Nezumi. And I’ve simply never met someone with an uncentered core looking to keep it concealed at the level he’s talking about. I believe him, Nezumi.”

Nezumi scoffed and sent a dark look toward Wataru, who was feeling really uncomfortable about witnessing this conversation; it just felt so private.

“You’d believe anyone who could sell a sap story.”

“I don’t recall asking for yours when we met. It was enough to see you.”

That had a profound effect on Nezumi, the fury fading from his eyes and posture. He didn’t seem resigned, more like the strength of his emotion was redirected.

“If you really doubt him, Nezumi, then ask him for the truth. Really ask him.”

Whatever that meant.

Shion glanced over at Wataru briefly before taking a step closer to Nezumi and reaching out to grasp his forearm, lowering his voice no matter how little privacy it would actually give them considering the small room and that Wataru was only a few meters away.

“I’m serious, Nezumi. If you really don’t think I should help him like he’s asking because you think he’s lying or trying to trick me, ask him. It’s part of your place in my life, to keep me from getting too far into being wrong.”

Wataru didn’t think that he could have felt more like he was intruding, but he’d been wrong. He still couldn’t say for sure if they were in a relationship like he and Yuichi, but they were close and that should have been completely private. Especially since Nezumi was obviously a very solitary person, who didn’t like making a show of anything that mattered to him. Shion was definitely more open, but his understanding of Nezumi had come through in that he looked at Wataru before saying that last bit, knowing that he was pushing comfort levels.

At the same time that Wataru was wishing he’d been allowed to step outside, Nezumi was watching Shion carefully, seeming to be working things through silently.

He then let out a sigh and shook his head. “I don’t need to ask. It’s not about him.” He stepped around behind Shion and Wataru realized how significant that position was: he was removing himself from a defensive position, choosing to stand where he couldn’t easily keep Wataru from hurting Shion if that’s what he wanted.

Wataru suddenly wasn’t sure who was getting over- or underestimated in this or by whom: Shion or Wataru. And he was putting so much thought into everything, he was pretty sure his head was going to burst with the effort. He liked to think he had some measure of intelligence, but this sort of thing – picking up on subtext and understanding human interaction – didn’t play to his strengths.

Shion turned his attention back to Wataru and his demeanor shifted, becoming open and kind once more and Wataru was a bit thrown at the change.

“I will do whatever I can to help you. The difficulty will be in that I didn’t learn this from someone and I’ve never considered teaching it to another person because that would mean admitting to what I'm hiding. But what I’m able to do is exactly what you’re looking for.”

Wataru’s curiosity was piqued, especially since he’d gotten Shion’s agreement to help. “What exactly is the secret you’re hiding?”

“A fourth disposition.”

Wataru’s brain really did stall then. Out of all the things that could be called “rare” when it came to cores, this was something Wataru would have said qualified as “impossible” and he knew he wouldn’t be alone in that. Every single study he’d read, every mandatory class about cores he’d had to go through, everything said that three cores were as far as a person could have. And it all was connected back to where a core was centered: in the heart or either hemisphere of the brain. Two cores simply couldn’t be centered in the same part of the body: if the strain on the system didn’t kill the person, the cores would basically battle each other to occupy the space. The damage done to the person’s system was permanent.

Was this what Shion had really been talking about when he’d mentioned people possibly becoming more in tune with cores as generations passed, that things that used to be impossible weren’t anymore? The human body was capable of adapting to so much, why not cores?

“I have a core centered in my heart, the right hemisphere of my brain, the left hemisphere of my brain, and an uncentered core. So, if you’re looking at pure facts, I haven’t accomplished something impossible.

“Uncentered cores are typically more unstable, less focused in their abilities than centered cores. Chimeras in the past have had more difficulty utilizing multiple cores with precision. A majority of Chimeras with three cores, whether or not one was uncentered, have chosen to have at least one core sealed because of the level of concentration it can require to balance all three dispositions. However, in the past three or so generations and about hundred years, that has become less prevalent. More Chimeras have found success in controlling all their dispositions successfully, no matter if they had two or three. I believe it is a combination of natural human evolution adapting as well as better training and methods of control.”

“So, if three are becoming easier to manage, why not make it four?” Wataru couldn’t keep quiet, his mind swimming with the information.

“This is where Shion has a bit of an unfair advantage over a majority of the population,” Nezumi cut in before Shion answered and Shion’s cheeks dusted pink. “I wasn’t kidding before: he’s literally a genius. Despite how much of an absentminded idiot he can be, he thinks fast enough that he can keep up with the strain of controlling multiple cores and still think faster than pretty much everyone around him.”

Now Shion was really blushing and reached up to pull at the hair behind his ear nervously.

“If you do anything often enough, it becomes automatic, even the thought process required to control a core. It’s not as difficult as he’s making it seem.”

“We’ll let him be the judge of that,” Nezumi shot back with a smirk.

Regardless of what Nezumi was saying, Wataru thought it made sense. Sure, Wataru wasn’t really into sports and had never done much reading in the field of psychology – which is what he felt this connected to the closest – but he still knew about muscle memory and therapists made a living off of helping people change the habits of their thoughts. Even a few days of concentrating on a single drill with his core had made it easier to exhibit some measure of control. It sounded like Shion just exhibited a higher level of control but was so used to it that it didn’t seem like such a complicated thing to him anymore. That or his kind of intelligence just happened to be the exact kind he’d needed for it to truly be easy to balance the power of four cores, no matter the dispositions.

Hopefully, it wasn’t the latter because that would mean that what Wataru was asking was beyond his capabilities and he’d just have to figure something else out.

“Anyway, to get to the point of what I actually do to keep the fourth disposition hidden, I just hide it within the discharge of one of the other cores.”

That actually sounded even less complicated. A core was almost always releasing excess energy back into the body, the only exception being when it had been used enough to need restoration. It was reading the levels of the discharge that gave Clairvoyants and Seers an idea of how powerful a user was.

“So anyone looking only picks up the discharge of both the cores in the same place and assumes it’s all coming from one core?” Wataru checked his understanding.

“Exactly. And because the disposition centered in the left hemisphere of my brain has the highest discharge, that’s usually where I conceal it.”

“Okay, but how do you move the core around?”

Shion had been getting pretty animated as he was talking, obviously excited to be discussing what he’d found himself capable of doing. But with that question, he seemed to deflate a little. Wataru hoped it was only because he hadn’t had much opportunity to put it into words.

After a few seconds, he turned to look at Nezumi with a pleading expression.

Nezumi shrugged his shoulder a bit and then let out a sigh. “Figures that’s what he can’t describe. And he was on such a roll, too. So disappointing.” Nezumi spoke with exaggerated tone, making it sound so much more dramatic than it actually was. He then smirked as Shion shot him a frustrated look.

“It doesn’t feel unnatural to do,” Shion spoke as though Nezumi hadn’t interjected. “It’s actually not dissimilar from how it feels just to gather and direct power like you just did. I guess instead of channeling the power to materialize, you use it to propel the core in the direction you want. Did you know that if you are using an uncentered core for an extended period of time, it will automatically change position to be closer to where it’s being utilized? For example, if you were to continue materializing your Ouroboros’ power in your hand, it would move closer to your hand so there was less energy lost in transit. This seems to just use that function in a more intentional manner.”

“Huh…” Wataru mused thoughtfully. He hadn’t known that.

He wondered just how much Shion knew about cores, dispositions, and users. He then wondered if Shion got the chance to share his apparent wealth of knowledge with anyone besides Nezumi, who Wataru couldn’t tell whether or not he’d be a person to appreciate Shion telling him these things.

“Did the Deva that called you give you a date for your evaluation?” Nezumi asked.

“Next week, Wednesday.”

Shion’s expression relaxed and he gave Wataru a warm smile that he was gradually getting used to. “I can have you ready by then. Let’s work out when we can meet.”

Wataru hesitated before deciding that there was no point in avoiding the subject: “Yuichi doesn’t need to know, right?”

“ _Now_ you’re asking the impossible,” Nezumi answered instead, giving him a smirk. “You two are together, right? Completely mutual, right? So an affinity is going to form pretty quickly because his would have already been trying. We’re talking a few hours of you two being around each other and the initial connection will be made. And once the affinity is there, he’ll be able to feel both your cores, just like you’d be able to feel if he was a Chimera. Him being a Paladin would only make him more sensitive.” He stepped forward and nudged at Shion’s side, his smirk becoming just a bit more fond. “It’s how I keep track of him, make sure he isn’t overworking himself. He overextends himself, gets too tired, and all the thought he has to put into keeping his cores in line goes out the window.”

Shion crossed his arms and his tone was more reticent than it had been, like he didn’t really want to be talking about this anymore. “Three of my cores formed in a traumatic situation and that makes them more prone to defensive action. And I have some very dangerous abilities so I understand your concerns in wanting to receive training. But affinities make all the difference to what you can do and if you’re certain that one will form between you and Yuichi, then you need to plan for it to happen, be ready to be connected to him in that way.”

These two were something else…

Nezumi got serious again. “Just tell him. Even if he wasn’t a Paladin with their infallible reliability, he won’t let you down.”

Shion gave him a warm smile. “It’s obvious that he loves you and he’s already proven that he’s willing to do anything for you.”

As comforting as Shion obviously meant that to be, that was exactly the problem to Wataru.


	13. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wataru has a plan but needs to know where Yuichi stands with it...

Wataru paced his room in a wide circle, getting as close as he could to the desk, bed, and shelves so he had just that little bit more space for his path. He’d been doing so for nearly an hour now, needing to move as his mind churned. He always thought better when he was moving, but it wasn’t making much difference today. He’d considered going for a walk but he didn’t want to answer to his family as to why he was leaving.

As it was late afternoon on a Saturday, both his parents were home and he could hear them and Karin conversing in the living room while the TV provided them background noise. They hadn’t tried to come talk to him since he’d retreated back to this room so he gratefully ignored them. After all, he’d been quiet at lunch as well and they were all nervous about his upcoming meeting with the Devas.

His anxiety was for completely different reasons than theirs, but he didn’t want them to figure that out.

He’d also turned his phone off as soon as he walked in the front door and said goodbye to Kawamura, not wanting to deal with the outside world anymore.

He knew what he was dealing with – the awakened cores he now had, applying to the Devas for them to train him how to use his Esper core and how to fight Oni while they also finished his general education, and working with Shion and Nezumi to keep his Ouroboros core secret – was getting to him more than he wanted. He was getting more stressed every day and was wondering when he’d reach his limit.

The doorbell echoed through the house, but Wataru ignored it, continuing his circle.

At least Shion was successful in finding ways to help Wataru figure out maneuvering his uncentered core around his body. Two days and he’d been able to actually consciously move the Ouroboros core from where it apparently “liked” being near his liver up his chest and down his right arm to his elbow, the pulse that opposed his heartbeat a pinprick in his veins. As Shion had explained, uncentered cores still had a preferred location in the body, usually somewhere in the torso where it could still gather and dispel energy efficiently. So, once Wataru had stopped focusing on where he wanted it, he followed the core back through his body to where it had been when he started, his awareness of it fading quickly once it had returned.

And even if he knew cores weren’t sentient things, that they simply performed their function just like any other organ in the body, the way Shion talked about them made them feel more alive.

He’d asked if the sensation he had when he moved it ever went away after doing that same drill a few times. Shion had been unusually unhelpful and had told him that the agent didn’t feel anything when he moved his core. He then hypothesized that it had to do with the core being entrusted.

But he was still making progress and that’s what mattered. He just had to get it to stay within the discharge of his Esper core centered in the left hemisphere of his brain with minimal concentration on his part for a few hours and he had three days to accomplish that. Then he’d take it one day at a time.

His thoughts were suddenly cut short as he ran into someone as he made his pass by the door. He hadn’t even heard his door open and he nearly tripped over his feet trying to keep them under him but was stabilized by hands taking hold of his biceps and supporting him, his own hands grabbing back instinctively.

He looked up and gaped when he saw it was Yuichi he’d run into. And Yuichi was looking down their difference in height with a blend of exasperation and amusement.

Yuichi shifted his hold a little, relaxing his hands and letting them slide down a little to brush the skin of Wataru’s elbows instead of gripping him. “If you ever ask me why I get so concerned about you, I’m citing this moment right here. You passed me twice.”

The last time they had been alone had been just after they’d talked to Yuichi’s parents. The only times they’d seen each other besides that had been at school, Yuichi helping some of his friends out with club activities after school so Kawamura had been Wataru’s company before and after school.

Wataru actually hadn’t been avoiding him but they had ended up apart anyway when he really needed to talk to Yuichi. It just didn’t seem fair.

And now here he was in his room and he was already so worked up that he had no idea how he was going to collect himself to even make sense.

“Um, what are you doing here?” Wataru managed to say, his voice sounding meek and making Yuichi look more concerned.

“I tried texting and calling you. When I heard nothing back, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop by. Are you alright?”

Wataru just looked up at Yuichi for a few tense seconds before he took a step closer to him and reached up to wrap his arms around Yuichi’s shoulders, lifting himself up to his toes so he could rest his chin on Yuichi’s shoulder. He closed his eyes so he could just focus on the warmth of Yuichi, take in his now familiar scent, let himself be calmed by the man he loved.

There was a brief hesitation on Yuichi’s part before he placed his hands on Wataru’s hips, then slid them around his lower back to return the embrace, likely surprised by Wataru’s action; out of the two of them, Wataru was usually more restrained about showing affection. It was sort of balancing out between them as the days passed and they settled in a bit to being in a relationship, but then there was just the differences between their preferences of physical contact.

“What’s going on?” Yuichi asked quietly, pressing his lips briefly against Wataru’s temple.

“Oh, just a complete upheaval of my entire life. Nothing major,” Wataru groused bitterly. He thought he’d actually done a pretty good job about not complaining about his situation, all things considered.

“Okay, but that was Tuesday. We’re on Saturday.”

Wataru eased up his grip a little and let his heels drop, replacing his chin with his forehead on Yuichi’s shoulder so he could stay close.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked, buying himself a little time with something he was actually curious about.

“Yeah, of course,” Yuichi sounded suspicious.

“Do you still feel your core trying to form an affinity with me?”

Yuichi’s hands started to pull away, like he was about to put some distance between them so he could look at Wataru, but he stopped himself and tightened his grip again. “I haven’t really thought about it. I put so much time into learning to ignore it and there’s been other priorities that I didn’t really notice.” He went silent for a short while, and Wataru assumed he was finding the answer. “I can feel the discharge of my core reaching out to you and not returning. It’s being accepted and that will become the foundation of our affinity. The more time we spend together, the faster it’ll take hold and form the connection we’ll be aware of.”

Yuichi sounded happy, relieved, and Wataru didn’t blame him. Not only was the frustration of the affinity not being able to form something he’d actually sympathized with, he wanted the affinity as well. He wanted to know what it felt like to feel the existence of someone else on that level, especially when that “someone” was Yuichi.

“Why ask?”

“Making sure you aren’t doing what Nezumi did,” Wataru said before he could think better of admitting he’d met with the agent again.

“What?” Yuichi did pull back a bit this time, or at least move with more certainty but Wataru stayed close.

“So, you know that dormant core that I’ve been keeping secret because it’s this big deal of a rare one?” Wataru blurted out as he tightened his grip on Yuichi’s shirt. Yuichi remained silent, likely not knowing what he was supposed to say to something like that. Wataru didn’t blame him; this wasn’t the best way to go about this. “Well, it’s not so dormant anymore. It’s as active as the core I’m asking the Devas to train me to use. So, there’s that going on.”

Now Yuichi grabbed onto Wataru’s shoulders and extended his arms so he could look at Wataru. He kept his hands there, though, making sure that’s as far as Wataru went.

“When did this happen?” Yuichi asked, obviously controlling his voice to be as calm and even as possible.

“Few days ago. I went to Shion and Nezumi, the U.E.A. agents we talked to, and asked for their help. So Shion is teaching me how to hide the Ouroboros core next to my Esper core so I don’t get caught as a Chimera. Apparently, there aren’t many people who think to look too closely around the discharge of a core for an uncentered core because it doesn’t usually hang out that close to other cores in Chimeras. Of course, if they know they’re looking for an uncentered core, they pay a bit more attention, but expectations have created passivity. That’s what Shion says anyway.”

Wataru was rambling, unable to stop now that he’d gotten going. He wasn’t usually one to ramble like this, but maybe this was what it meant for him to be getting close to some breaking point.

Yuichi didn’t let him get any further, though. He took hold of Wataru’s face, one hand on either side of his cheeks and neck to make sure Wataru couldn’t drop his gaze as he tended to do when he was nervous.

“Wataru!” Yuichi said shortly and it startled Wataru to silence. As soon as Wataru had stopped and he was looking up at Yuichi with a little more surprise, Yuichi’s expression softened. “Are you okay?” he asked again and Wataru was reminded that one of the reasons he loved Yuichi so much was for his kindness.

“I’m sort of freaking out,” Wataru admitted.

“That’s obvious,” the retort came with a brief smirk before Yuichi’s expression softened again. He was handling Wataru with care today. “Why are you freaking out? You said you’re working to try and keep it hidden so we can go through with you receiving training from the Devas. Is it not working?”

“No, it should work. Apparently, I’m not horrible at manipulating cores.” Those were Nezumi’s words. Wataru still wasn’t sure if he minded that guy or not. “I can move it around and we still have a few days to get me to move it to my other core and keep it there with minimal effort.” Ideally, no effort so he could not tip off anyone looking if they asked him to build power.

“Were you…” Yuichi hesitated and he looked down for a few seconds. “You weren’t going to tell me it had awakened, were you?” It sounded more like a statement. “It was going to be your secret.”

Wataru sighed and tried to lower his head but Yuichi didn’t let him. Yuichi was making sure he faced him for this.

“Only until after I was cleared by the Devas.”

“So, you knew that Shion would be able to help you trick the Devas into believing you aren’t a Chimera? That’s worse than you keeping the core a secret to avoid their protective custody or being sealed on principle.”

“No, I didn’t know for sure that Shion knew anything that would be able to help me, but I thought he might by something he said. And if we hadn’t met him, I wouldn’t even have considered it. I would have just not shown up to the evaluation, found some other training to go through, and would have spent the rest of my life dodging Oni.” Wataru was getting louder, his emotions getting the better of him.

“The Devas and the U.E.A. were already aware of the Oni targeting someone in the area. They would have worked out that it was you eventually, likely sooner than we would have expected if Shion and Nezumi were investigating. How we were handling the situation wasn’t the best course and you know it.”

“Of course I know that! I know I made a mistake and I’m trying to fix it.”

“By making more mistakes?”

Wataru grabbed Yuichi’s wrists and pulled his hands away, stepping back from him for good measure. He didn’t think Yuichi was going to lash out like this when he told him.

“If you think the Devas were going to handle you being entrusted an Ouroboros core outside the proper channels, how do you think they’re going to respond when they find out you hid it from them while they trained you and then you worked with them when Chimeras aren’t allowed to be Devas?” Yuichi asked, a little calmer if not just as tense.

“The difference is a dormant core versus an Ouroboros,” Wataru declared.

“You really think that’ll protect you? You’re taking advantage of a law enforcement organization.”

“An organization that’s wrong. The only reason Chimeras aren’t allowed to be Devas is because in the days that the organization was started, Chimeras were actually unstable. And the image of ‘ultimate defenders of the peace’ sort of falls apart if they’re using a bunch of people who can’t control their abilities.

“But that’s not the case anymore. I was only a user for a few days before I was a Chimera and my control is just fine. And that’s how things are for about eighty percent of the Chimeras alive today. Oh, and don’t forget that Chimeras are currently more common than single core users. They are officially the majority and have been for about a decade. The Devas are just holding on to a dated ideal and they’re going to suffer for it.”

Yuichi ran his hand through his hair in his own frustration. “What, and you’re going to be the one to prove that to them?”

Wataru crossed his arms and turned a bit so he wasn’t completely facing Yuichi. “Of course not. The longer no one knows about the Ouroboros core, the better. Let someone else be the voice of reason; I’m just trying to find my way back to the days where Oni weren’t waiting around every corner for me. If that means a few years as a Deva so I can fight back, then so be it.”

The room went silent between them, the air tense and Wataru hoped Yuichi was as much of a loss of what to say as he was. But he also hoped that he hadn’t just made a decision that meant Yuichi didn’t want to be with him anymore.

Wataru felt his resolve give at that thought: he didn’t want to lose Yuichi. If this choice was something that would result in that, he’d reconsider and try to find another option.

He thought back to the last time he’d seen his grandfather, the day he’d given him the Ouroboros core. It was the only time he’d fought with an elder like that, especially his grandfather who he’d had deep respect for. His grandfather was meant to have the power of an Ouroboros, to help people find peace at the end of their lives in some measure. He’d encouraged Wataru’s independent nature, never made him feel like he should go along with something just because it was the norm.

He’d seemed to understand Wataru’s fear of cores and users.

Then one of his last acts had been to put something Wataru was afraid of into him. It had felt like such a betrayal and Wataru knew that was a huge contributor to his dislike of cores enduring over the years.

But what if that wasn’t what he’d been trying to do. Maybe he’d been trying to show Wataru that there was nothing to be afraid of. Because, despite how cores made humans capable of things they’d once only imagined possible in fairy tales and bedtime stories filled with heroism and good fighting evil, they were something that only came forward in people and there was nothing that indicated it wasn’t natural.

Wataru pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, clearing away the moisture gathering there, before running his fingers roughly through his hair.

“You know, just before my grandfather passed his core over to me, I did everything I could to change his mind, to make him see that it was a mistake. But he wouldn’t budge. He just kept on feeding me these lines about how there was no one better to get it. He said I knew people, that I could figure them out. I don’t think he was right; I’m not great with people and just didn’t know it was better to not tell someone why I didn’t like them.” Wataru let out a deep sigh and shoved his hands in his pants pockets just to do something with them. “He never should have given me his core. Not because I’m afraid of having one because there’s always the chance my own would have formed. But nothing should be hated simply for existing, especially not something that can help people.” He squeezed his eyes shut as he clenched his hands against his thighs, the thin cloth of his pocket the only thing keeping him from digging his fingers into his skin. “I still hate it for being in me.” He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and grabbed at his side just below his ribs where he could feel the core pulsing away, growing more aware of it the more he manipulated it. “I shouldn’t but I do. I can do some real good with it, use it to help people like he did. But I can’t imagine doing that because I just hate it so much.”

He felt a tear slide down his cheek and he ducked his head to hide himself. Just what was he going for here? Yuichi was proud of being a Paladin so why would this admission be something that helped Yuichi see him as someone he wanted to be with?

Wataru was taking in deep breaths, trying to collect himself, so when he felt warm fingers brushing against his cheek and into his hair, he startled, cringing further into himself.

“Wataru, you kept it secret for a long time. You didn’t tell anyone until your hand was forced by the Oni. Why?” Yuichi asked but his tone didn’t reveal anything and Wataru couldn’t bring himself to look up.

“He promised me I could. He told me it was my secret and that I’d never get in trouble for keeping it secret. Then it just became easier not to tell so I wouldn’t have to explain it. And then I started learning about cores and I learned about the Ouroboros disposition and I doubted what he said.”

“Doubted? Which part?”

“I doubted that I wouldn’t get in trouble if someone found out. He never told me what he’d done to ensure I wouldn’t get in trouble for hiding it so I had nothing to believe in.” Wataru turned away from Yuichi, pulled away from the light touch he’d kept in his hair. “But it doesn’t matter now. I’m using that as my last resort, as the basis of my decision to hide it from the Devas.”

He hadn’t really realized it before, but now that he was thinking about it, he could honestly say that what his grandfather had promised him was a major part of the reason he was committed to the course of action he was on. And if he could change his mind about whether or not he believed what his grandfather had told him, then just maybe he could change his mind about the core that was now officially his, maybe even change his mind about the Devas.

Opinions weren’t meant to be fixed, they should change as understanding grew, even ones that had seemed to mean so much in the moment. After all, his initial opinion of Yuichi had been that they’d never get along and now he couldn’t imagine going through his life without Yuichi there.

He wouldn’t mind his opinion about his core changing. He wanted to feel the same pride and appreciation Yuichi felt for his core. Maybe this was how he got there.

Feeling more resolved than he had in a while, Wataru lifted his head, looking Yuichi straight in the eyes and didn’t falter.

“It might not be right, but it feels like the correct thing to do. Shion isn’t stopping me, isn’t even discouraging me, and neither is Nezumi. It’s still my secret to tell to whoever I choose. And I choose to not tell anyone else until I can protect it myself.”

He saw a flash of frustration in Yuichi’s expression, so he decided to lay everything bare. He reached up and touched his palm to Yuichi’s cheek, giving Yuichi a soft smile and feeling the other teen’s breath catch.

“Correct or not, I won’t ask you to cover for me, to lie for me. I don’t want to lose you because of this choice, but I really do love you. And ignoring what matters to you, your values, that’s not love. So I won’t have your love obligate you to covering for me.”

Yuichi actually stopped breathing for a few seconds and he looked really panicked.

“You’re…are you breaking up with me?” Yuichi asked, his voice tense and sounding a bit broken.

Wataru felt his own heartrate climb in his own panic – hearing Yuichi say that made him realize how that’s how it had sounded, that he’d failed to express himself – and he started to reach out with his left hand, but a shimmer out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he managed to pull his hands back toward himself, a few books flying off his shelf toward him from the motion.

He looked between his hands and the books in shock. That was the second time he’d accidentally moved something with his Esper core – the first being the sidewalk – and he couldn’t stop the thought that he’d been lucky he hadn’t ripped a hole in the wall.

And what if he’d actually touched Yuichi? Could he have actually hurt him just now because he’d gotten a little upset?

His hand was still humming with power, ripples of his core’s energy hugging his skin like a glove, waiting to be directed.

He needed to control this. He _couldn’t_ be responsible for hurting someone. He wouldn’t be able to handle that. If that ever happened, accident or not, he’d get himself sealed immediately, assumptions of anyone else be damned.

“I’m so sorry,” he choked out, clenching his hands together. “I want to be with you. More than anything. I didn’t mean to sound like I was ending it. All I meant was that I wouldn’t blame you if you decided I wasn’t…worth it. I just…I really love you but I don’t know what to do with that and this.” He held his hands up a bit to indicate what he meant.

He didn’t know how to be a user and Yuichi’s boyfriend.

He didn’t think he was doing any better about conveying his meaning and he felt like crying, not a feeling he got very often.

Fingers pressed against the bottom of his chin and lifted his face up just before lips pressed insistently against his, Yuichi kissing him with as much fervor as he ever had before. He wasted no time in brushing his tongue along Wataru’s lips and then delving inside once Wataru’s mouth opened to him with a sigh. His other arm wrapped around Wataru’s waist, his hand pressing against Wataru’s lower back to move him against the taller body. Wataru’s arms remained between them, but he grabbed onto Yuichi’s shirt and held him close as he lost himself to the kiss.

And he really did lose track of everything else around him. He had no idea how long they remained entwined like that, just that he was getting lightheaded when Yuichi eased off a little. But even then, his lips trailed down Wataru’s cheek and along the lines of his neck, licking and nipping at Wataru’s skin, only stopping when he reached the line of Wataru’s shirt.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” Yuichi suddenly declared and Wataru wanted to look at him, but the hands on him were insistent in holding him in place, one still on his back while the other had curled around the back of his neck. “I forget, alright?”

“Forget what?” Wataru managed to breathe out the question.

“That you don’t like anyone protecting you.” It was more that he didn’t like people getting hurt because they were protecting him but that felt like an unnecessary correction to make right now. “Could you just _try_ to remember that as much as you want to be able to defend yourself is about how much I need to make sure I keep you safe. And it’s not just my disposition; I don’t like the people I love getting hurt and I love you more than anything.” Wataru gave him a slight nod, genuine in his agreement to Yuichi’s request.

What a pair they made.

“I don’t care about lying for you. If I did, I would’ve told the Devas about your core a long time ago. If it means you stay safe, I’ll go along with this; I’ll support you in concealing the existence of your Ouroboros core from the Devas as long as you want me to.”

“Good, because Shion wants you to come with me tomorrow. He thinks if we can get our affinity to form, that’ll help balance things out a bit and it’ll be easier for me to keep the core where I want it.”

“We’ve got to start working on how you approach difficult conversations. There’s got to be an easier way than this.”

Wataru was pretty sure he resented that, but then Yuichi was pulling away and he just knew he didn’t want that to happen. So, he grabbed onto Yuichi’s hand and held onto it as he looked up hesitantly at Yuichi.

“You’re not leaving, right?” he asked.

“I wasn’t planning on it, no. Your parents already invited me to stay for dinner if I wanted.”

“I want to be close to you longer. I don’t care if it’s just an affinity thing, I don’t want to fight it.”

Wataru knew he was blushing but it was all worth it for the look of happiness that spread over Yuichi’s face at his request.

Yuichi squeezed his hand, then pulled Wataru over to the bed, the smaller teen following along despite the return of his nerves. He wasn’t sure he meant that…

But Yuichi just sat down on the bed, pushing himself closer to the wall as he tugged on Wataru to follow him. Wataru kneeled on the bed before laying out on his side, facing toward Yuichi and watching as his boyfriend stretched out on his right side so he would face Wataru. He then wrapped his arm around Wataru and pulled him around, rolling Wataru over so the length of his back pressed along his front. His left arm stayed securely around Wataru’s waist as his right arm maneuvered under Wataru’s head, folding at the elbow to card through Wataru’s hair absently. He relaxed otherwise and Wataru found himself following along, tension fading from his limbs as he got exactly what he’d wanted.

It might just be an affinity thing, his cores responding to Yuichi’s power flowing into him. Proximity was mandatory for affinities to form, after all. But he wasn’t going to complain about being this close to Yuichi and the position they’d ended up in was one they could stay in for as long as they wanted.

This was about comfort and Wataru couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this at ease.

This was what he needed to get farther away from reaching his limits. This is what would help keep him where he needed to be to face what his life had become.


	14. As Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shion helps Wataru find his way through tricking the Oni...

“And here I thought _I_ was bad at communication,” Nezumi remarked from his desk where he was lounging back in his chair with his feet propped on the desk and reading a book that definitely didn’t have anything to do with his work; Wataru was almost certain he’d seen it was Shakespeare.

“You're _horrible_ at communication, Nezumi,” Shion shot back from where he was seated on the floor across from Wataru, Yuichi standing off to the side of the door to give them a little space to start.

Wataru still wasn’t too good at focusing at the beginning of these sessions and Shion said it would be best if they always had some commonality to get him used to it. So, that meant Yuichi was to keep his distance until Wataru was ready for him to approach and change things up from the last few days of him working with Shion.

“He didn’t have to be convinced that grunting and glares don’t actually qualify as ‘communication’,” Shion added in Nezumi’s direction.

“You understood me just fine,” Nezumi shot back.

They were being _really_ distracting, Wataru thought. Then he wondered if it was on purpose or they were just getting caught up in their exchange; they’d revealed a habit of losing track of other people around them when they got going.

Wataru still had no idea if they were together like he and Yuichi were or not. They definitely had an affinity, but it wasn’t clear if it was platonic or more.

“Oh, good, you believed that.”

“Can you please stop so I can focus?” Wataru asked evenly but was ignored.

He was pretty sure he heard Yuichi chuckling behind him.

“You two really got into a fight because you just let it spill out that your plan is to hide a secret like being a Chimera from the Devas _while_ you’re working with them?”

Apparently, they weren’t actually getting to work yet, so Wataru let out a low growl and looked over to Nezumi. “Yes, it sort of spilled out. We argued. We resolved the argument. Yuichi is here. Can we move on now?”

“Nah, I’m not done being amused by this. It’s your fault for telling Shion about it while I was in the room.”

“There’s somewhere else you can be? I’ve never been in here without you gracing us with your presence.” Wataru was getting a little short-tempered because of the embarrassment of getting called out like this because of his argument with Yuichi by someone he barely knew. Sure, he felt more comfortable around the two agents, but they were still basically strangers.

“Shion forgot to tell you I’m actually here to serve a purpose,” Nezumi declared and Shion looked confused and then remorseful.

“Oh, yeah, I did forget,” he admitted meekly. “He is actually here so there’s a reason you don’t completely relax. He’s quite incapable of not seeming threatening and you pick up on that.” Everyone ignored Nezumi’s “Hey!” of protest. “If you train under that sort of environment, you won’t get used to and require a safe, relaxed environment in order to accomplish what we’re working on here.”

“Never train when you’re comfortable,” Nezumi added, recovering from his affront easily. He was often all over the place like that, though Wataru was certain it was mostly an act.

Wataru glanced back to Yuichi, who just gave him a one-sided shrug. “Paladins don’t train like anyone else because of the nature of our dispositions, so I don’t know how accurate they are. I guess it makes sense, though.”

“You also need to be used to working as well with someone you have an affinity with around,” Shion continued.

“What? Why does that make a difference?” Wataru asked.

The answer came from Yuichi. “Because affinities are a permanent distraction. Sure, we get used to the feel of some of our discharge always flowing in the direction of the people we’re connected to, and the closer they are, the more potent the flow. And then there’s always those moments where it suddenly has all your attention, like they walked into the room when you didn’t expect them to or if they’re in distress or hurt. Then they’re all that matters and your control is compromised.”

Wataru felt his cheeks warm up at that, realizing something. “Like last night.” He’d lost control because of the thought of losing Yuichi. They may not have an affinity yet, but their discharge was reaching for each other, forming the foundation of the connection. And the hours they’d just laid in Wataru’s bed the night before had meant a lot of that foundation was now set.

“Yeah, like last night.”

“Wait, did something else happen last night? Something with your core?” Shion asked, sounding concerned and intrigued. Wataru wondered if the guy had been heading in the direction of being a scientist or something before he’d gotten his four cores and let that decide his career. He was just always so ready to ask questions and learn more.

Wataru rested his weight back, placing his hands on the floor behind him and leaning back on them, resigning himself to continuing the conversation; there was distraction and then there was the current limits of his ability to multitask. He already wasn’t great at concentrating on more than one thing so this really wasn’t working toward his strengths. Sure, he was still trying to keep track of the feel of his Ouroboros core while he spoke, but it wasn’t entirely working as he’d misplace every few pulses.

“I, uh, accidentally built up some power and pulled some books off the shelf across the room.”

Nezumi actually looked away from his book and toward Wataru at that and Wataru knew he was really blushing now. He still felt bad about it happening, that he likely could have hurt Yuichi if he hadn’t noticed the discharge, and having Nezumi watch him with those piercing grey eyes wasn’t helping.

“Huh, didn’t expect you to have books casually sitting on a shelf,” Nezumi suddenly declared as he turned back to his book.

“Hey!” Wataru was moving to stand in protest but had only shifted to his knees when he felt Yuichi’s hand settle on his shoulder from behind.

He was suddenly intensely aware of the pulsing of both his Esper and Ouroboros core within him, the uncentered core settled at the base of his ribcage and the Esper core feeling like it was gathering itself up for a burst. He let himself fall back to sit, his hands resting on his knees as he made sure nothing around the room moved because of him.

Was this an affinity thing, feeling his cores like this just because Yuichi touched him?

Wataru looked back over between Shion and Nezumi, both of them watching him and Nezumi had changed his position just enough that Wataru figured he'd been ready to defend himself and Shion. After a few second’s pause, Shion gave him a smile. “That’s a good affinity the two of you have already: solid, secure, and balanced. It’s obvious there has already been work put into your relationship to give it good emotions to work from.”

Yuichi let out a slight scoff though Wataru could hear the embarrassment in the sound: as confident as Yuichi was about pretty much everything, he seemed to fumble just a little when a point was made about their relationship. But, unlike Wataru who just didn’t handle something so personal being the topic of discussion, Yuichi seemed to just not know where the line was. He held himself back for Wataru’s sake and that meant he lost some of the solidity behind his attitude.

“Isn’t the reason an affinity forms because of a strong mutual relationship?” Yuichi said, though Wataru couldn’t tell if it was defensive or confident.

“Not necessarily. While a strong relationship helps an affinity form faster, it starts forming based solely on emotions. It’s solely the core’s response to the user experiencing love. But because the love you feel for a family member is different than what you feel for a close friend or romantic love, the kind of connection each one forms is just a bit different.”

“If you thought Shion was too much to deal with, you should get him and his best friend talking shop. That’s where most of this information is coming from. She’s a neuro-biologist and on par if not beyond his intelligence; she studied affinities as a hobby.” Nezumi let out an over-dramatic sigh as he threw one of his arms over his face to hammer the point home. “They just don’t stop.”

Shion ignored Nezumi while suddenly making him central to the topic at hand. “Our affinity, Nezumi’s and mine, it’s been a struggle to get it stable.” Wataru caught the complex expression that crossed Nezumi’s face as he lowered his arm down: there was definitely regret there, guilt even. “I’m glad you two don’t have to deal with that going into the situation you are about to.

“Speaking of, we do have work to do and I’m curious about something. The Devas have to allow Yuichi in with you while you’re being evaluated: it’s policy because his place there is with you and not as a separate applicant. They are as much going to be evaluating your affinity as they are your current power output.”

Wataru turned toward Yuichi to question him, but he just nodded agreement so he’d already known about that.

Wataru wasn’t sure if that was a relief or not as to the results of the evaluation.

“So, I’ve mentioned that an uncentered core goes to where it feels safest, right?” Wataru nodded. “Well, with an affinity as secure as yours, that means Yuichi means safety to you, so he should hold the same meaning to your core. I want to try a shortcut of getting your core to move where we want it to go and we can work on you doing it on your own after you’ve passed the evaluation.”

Nezumi sat forward, placing his elbows on his knees and leaning his weight onto them, the book held loosely in his hand. “You’re already working completely blind with him, Shion. I’m pretty sure you’re approaching ‘idiotic’ by taking chances on something that might not work.”

“Right, because you only do things that are completely thought out and carefully considered.”

“I miss the days when you sucked at sarcasm.” Nezumi looked past Wataru to actually focus on Yuichi. “They don’t level up in the way that you expect; watch out for that.” Wataru glowered at Nezumi as Shion pinched at the bridge of his nose, but Wataru could see the red tinge to his cheeks.

“And yet I’m pretty sure it’s obvious how he got so proficient at it,” Yuichi replied smoothly.

“It’ll be fine, Nezumi. It’s one of the less ‘experimental’ approaches I’m taking,” Shion interrupted as he waved Nezumi towards him insistently. "Come here, I need your help for demonstration.”

Nezumi let out a dramatic sigh and put his book on his desk before he dropped down to the floor and slid closer to Shion in a smooth motion. It reminded Wataru of how easily Yuichi moved, something that displayed how balanced and dangerous they could be.

He didn’t use to pick up things like that.

He also noticed how as soon as Nezumi was within arm’s length of Shion, he reached out and brushed his hand along Shion’s elbow. And he saw how Shion didn’t react to the touch besides a slight upturn of the corners of his lips, so he was used to the contact and it was a comfort.

Finally, Wataru had an answer to the nature of their relationship. And Shion was talking from experience when he was referring to what a romantic affinity was like. Regardless of how open Wataru had been to what Shion told him about, well, anything, that helped him be even more accepting.

Shion shifted his position, turning from where he faced the two teens so that his side was toward them. Nezumi just watched him move, already sitting close enough that the change in position didn’t put any distance between them. But, from his expression, Wataru wondered if he didn’t actually know what Shion was going to have him do.

Shion glanced over his shoulder toward Nezumi and instructed, “Alright, time to show off. Indicate where my uncentered core is right now.”

Nezumi turned toward the other two with a leer that seemed to make all of them suspicious. “Surprisingly, he hasn’t used that as a pick-up line. You might want to remember it, Wataru: you never know when it’ll be the sexiest thing you’ve ever said.”

“Nezumi!” Shion scolded, sounding a blend of embarrassment and irritation, the latter being more prominent.

As it was, Wataru was just embarrassed and didn’t have the courage to look back to see Yuichi’s reaction.

Before anything else could be said, Nezumi reached out for Shion again, his hand resting over the back of his neck, fingers brushing into white hair in a purposeful soothing motion that Wataru recognized as something Yuichi did to him. Nezumi’s expression was focused, more so than Wataru had seen from him yet, and then his hand slid over Shion’s right shoulder, down his arm and stopped at his wrist.

“There,” he declared, leaving his hand there and Wataru swore he saw a pulse of power emanating from the point of contact.

He wondered if this was an Ouroboros thing, being able to pick up on these little flashes. He didn’t remember it happening before. Sure, anyone could see when users gathered power, like how he’d seen Kawamura’s Qilin power gathering in his hands when he had a barrier up, but the smaller things usually couldn’t be seen by even most users.

Then again, it could have been a trick of the light or his eyes. He hadn’t been sure.

Shion looked over to Wataru with a slight smile, though this one seemed a bit sad. “My uncentered core prefers points where my pulse can be felt, so wrist or neck are pretty common places for it. And it seems to be a bit more active in moving through my body than other uncentered cores I’ve had the opportunity to observe. We’d had an affinity for a while when I realized Nezumi’s hands would end up over it. And, if he kept his hand in the same place for a while, the core would actually start moving toward his hand.”

It was Nezumi’s turn to look uncomfortable about what was being said, a sight Wataru couldn’t help but be satisfied with.

“Shion, you have officially overshared,” Nezumi groused.

“Only to make up for all the things you’ve told him since we met.”

“Said to him, not told. There’s a big difference.”

Yuichi interjected then, “But knowing where his core is and affecting where it is are two different things. Especially since it sounds like you’re implying that we’re going to be having me consciously move Wataru’s core.”

“It’s not as disconnected as you think, especially not for a Paladin, whose very nature is one of protection so it will be a stronger draw to his core.” Wataru was pretty sure Shion was explaining his thought process as much to himself as to Yuichi. Either way, he turned toward Nezumi and gave him a little nod. “Go ahead.”

Nezumi gave him one last irritated look before his gaze became a bit distant, though it was from focusing on the task.

Now Wataru _knew_ he was seeing something: there was a soft glow around Shion’s wrist, not like a build up of power, but just a charge to show the core’s existence within him. And now that he knew what to look for – a point of dim light maybe a few millimeters or so in diameter – he looked at the left side of Shion’s head, as it was the only other center for a core Wataru could clearly see. It was difficult to make out because of Shion’s hair, but there was one just barely peeking out at his temple.

Then he looked at Nezumi, who was angled a bit more towards him so he could actually see all three points for a core. And on Nezumi, he saw two: one on each temple so he had something besides the Qilin disposition. He was also a Chimera, which Wataru had guessed was likely. He wanted to look at Yuichi, but he was supposed to be watching Nezumi do something so he grudgingly turned his attention back to where Nezumi’s fingers were still resting over Shion’s skin.

Nothing happened for a short time, Wataru thought, until he realized that the glow at the point of contact was a bit more visible because it wasn’t only Shion’s core but Nezumi was giving off the slightest bit of discharge, like a lure calling out to the core beneath his hand. And then the hand was slowly sliding closer to Shion’s elbow and the glow was following right behind. Once he was about midway up the forearm, Nezumi switched his contact to only be the tips of his index and middle finger touching Shion, and he moved his hand a bit faster now, but the glow continued to follow him. It followed him up Shion’s arm to his shoulder and then across his shoulder blade to his neck and then up past his jawline where Wataru couldn’t see it anymore because of the angle Shion was sitting at, but he saw the angle of Nezumi’s arm move all the way to Shion’s right temple before stopping.

Once there, he pulled his hand away and blinked a few times as if to shake off the focus he’d kept. Shion turned over his shoulder and gave Nezumi a smile before turning back to Wataru and Yuichi.

“Now you’ll just have to take our word for it that his core is nestled right alongside his right hemisphere’s core,” Nezumi said as he sat down all the way, crossing his legs in front of him so his right thigh was brushing against Shion’s back slightly.

“But I saw it,” Wataru responded just as it looked like Shion was about to speak.

“What?” Yuichi said behind him.

“I can see where their cores are. It’s subtle so I just didn’t notice before.” Even knowing that he hadn’t done anything wrong, he still momentarily felt guilty and was getting ready to apologize.

“Most dispositions that allow the user to interact with cores, such as Ouroboros, have some manner for them to see cores. They usually can’t tell anything besides where it is, but it’s necessary for the Ouroboros’ safety.”

“Shion, you are officially horrible at this,” Nezumi remarked, half-serious, likely because he hadn’t known that either.

“This one isn’t on me, Nezumi. It’s not like it’s some vague detail that only someone who studies cores and dispositions knows about. It’s general knowledge for anyone willing to pay attention. Besides, it’s not considered a huge deal because every disposition has a method of showing where it is to everyone. This just removes the guesswork for Wataru and he should be able to pick up some details as he gets stronger and accustomed to the ability.”

“Like what?” Wataru asked.

“It varies, usually adjusting to the needs of the user. If I were you, I’d look it up tonight and learn more for yourself.” Shion was already aware of Wataru’s habit where he would have a question but instead of asking he’d wait until he got home, look it up, and then would cross-check what he found with Shion. “So, did you see what Yuichi needs to do?” Shion asked to get them back on track.

“I think so,” Wataru replied absently as he thought back over what he’d seen. It really shouldn’t be that big of a deal, especially now that he knew he could move the core himself, so why not Yuichi.

Yuichi was better at the whole manipulating the power of his core thing anyway.

Wataru turned to look at Yuichi, who gave him an even look in return, the older teen ready for instruction. It was like he was just getting used to the idea that he’d find out new details about Wataru and would just make a deal out of them later when he could tease Wataru about it.

At least that’s what it felt like.

“Nezumi baited Shion’s core, it looked like. Shion’s core had already responded to his touch but when he moved his hand, there was a little discharge. The core followed the discharge.”

Wataru glanced over at the other two, Shion nodding and Nezumi giving a noncommittal shrug.

“Less a bait and more of an invitation,” Nezumi corrected. “Core manipulation basics: the thoughts you have when you’re manipulating a core’s power always matters. If I had been ordering his core around, it probably wouldn’t have worked. Especially since he never listens to me.” Shion laughed at that. Nezumi looked at Yuichi, directing his last instructions more toward him. “But when I think in terms of asking his core to come along, that it’ll be safe where I take it, then it didn’t hesitate.”

“I understand,” Yuichi responded evenly in a manner that Wataru didn’t doubt he meant. After all, Yuichi was a smart guy and better at this sort of stuff than Wataru, having learned complete control over his core years ago.

Yuichi moved around Wataru’s side and sat with his legs folded under him before he rested his hand on Wataru’s briefly before sliding it over to his stomach. Wataru suppressed a shudder at the touch, feeling just a prickle of Yuichi’s discharged power that was constantly flowing into him to continue building the affinity between them. And if he focused, he could feel his own discharge going to Yuichi.

“Wataru, try not to think about what he’s doing,” Shion instructed. “If it seems like there’s any resistance from you, it won’t work, no matter how strong the affinity.”

Wataru fought off declaring that he wasn’t so great about ignoring Yuichi, especially with his hands on him.

Instead, he just nodded and he focused in on Yuichi, noticing that Yuichi was watching him now and they made eye contact. Wataru gave him a slight smile and waited for Yuichi to get back to his task. It took a few seconds of Yuichi just watching him, but then his expression became a bit distant and his attention was turned towards Wataru’s core.

If Wataru had to describe what it felt like for Yuichi’s attention to be purposefully reaching out to his core, he would have said something along the lines of elated. There were already times that he wondered why Yuichi Kazuki was paying attention to him, what he saw in him, why he loved him, but this seemed to take away all those doubts and leave behind only the sensation of how much Yuichi loved him and wanted him to be safe.

Wataru felt safe, just as he always did when Yuichi reached out for him.

Wataru would protect this feeling.

His attention was brought back to the task at hand when he felt the prickle of his Ouroboros core leaving its position and easily following Yuichi’s hand as it slid up Wataru’s chest and toward his neck. It was usually uncomfortable for his core to be moving like this and so Wataru was a bit surprised that it was only something he was aware was happening right now, not something he didn’t feel he should be doing.

“Good, now guide it all the way to his right temple, to his other core,” Shion added the instruction. Yuichi nodded and his fingers passed the line of Wataru’s shirt at his neck and Yuichi made contact with his skin, Wataru inhaling sharply a little at the sudden rise of awareness in Yuichi’s discharge. He took in a deep breath to try and dismiss it, to remain calm as Yuichi’s fingers traveled the line of his jaw and up past the front of his ear to his temple.

This was where he finally had the feeling that this wasn’t something that should be happening, when his two cores came close together. It was uncomfortable, feeling like the Ouroboros core was trying to push away from his Esper core while the latter seemed to be claiming the space for itself with pulses of discharge directed right at the uncentered core.

Yuichi obviously felt something because he flattened his hand over Wataru’s cheek and leaned forward, making sure he kept a constant flow of his discharge moving toward Wataru and trying to ease things.

“Wataru?” Shion prompted.

“The Esper core is trying to make it move away,” Wataru answered, his voice a bit tense as he felt pinpricks of pain behind his right eye from the pressure.

“It likely perceives the Ouroboros core as a threat because you’re barely connected with it. It wasn’t your core to begin with and so it would feel different than one naturally yours. You have to keep them within close proximity for as long as possible or the Esper core will remain unstable, especially when you utilize the abilities of the Ouroboros. It needs to see there is no threat.”

Yuichi cut in there, his tone insistent and not usually one that someone wanted to argue with, “It’s hurting him.”

“But is it threatening him?” Nezumi asked and Yuichi hesitated in responding. “Exactly. A little pain won’t kill him and you’re going to use that pain as the indicator to know when you’re done.”

There was something in his voice that Wataru picked up sometimes from both the agents that he heard now from Nezumi: a level of anxiety that made it seem like these two had faced plenty already, no matter that they were only a few years older than Yuichi and Wataru. They had experience they could claim and was likely why they seemed to hold some measure of authority with the agency.

Wataru got the feeling that both Shion and Nezumi had needed to endure a lot of pain to get to where they were now.

He was pulled back to the task at hand as the pain behind his eyes became more of a stabbing sensation, more intense than before, but there was nothing different between the two cores.

And dealing with getting the Shade mark cleansed what seemed like so long ago now had been worse, Wataru decided. And Yuichi was still there, providing him with something external and constant to latch onto. He figured his touch and discharge was keeping things more manageable, but he couldn’t tell to what extent.

Wataru lost track of time, which wasn’t unusual when he was doing any sort of concentrated work with his cores, he’d noticed. But he just sat there across from Yuichi, his eyes closed and making sure he maintained deep and even breaths, doing everything he could to remain calm, to not seem like he was worried about the pain of his cores being so close together. He allowed his mind to wander otherwise, letting that be his distraction from worrying.

He thought about the Oni that had attacked him, leading him here, wondered if this was anything like what they wanted from him.

He thought about his family: his parents and their support of him choosing to make the choices he had, his sister and her consistent love and close friendship as he had so few people he could connect with. He knew an affinity would take shape between the two of them if he was able to keep close to home once the Devas started training him.

He thought about Kawamura and how someone who most of their classmates didn’t consider to be all that reliable hadn’t hesitated to step up for Wataru, to defend him when he was in danger. Then, the most opposition he showed for continuing to watch out for Wataru against _Oni_ had been to good-naturedly poke fun at his friend.

He circled back to Yuichi often, partially because he was right there helping him more than anyone, but mostly because he found himself thinking about Yuichi no matter where he was. The older teen made his way into Wataru’s thoughts at the slightest provocation and remained there. Wataru loved Yuichi and was so glad he’d been able to say so last night. And while he was realistic enough to accept what had changed in his life, Wataru wondered at how things would be if neither one of them had cores, if they would still have come together and fallen in love. He figured it was likely that they would have fallen in love, but actually meeting and having the opportunity to spend time together was another matter.

If not getting the Ouroboros core meant he’d have to give up Yuichi, he’d choose Yuichi every time. He’d accept the core from his grandfather as his own.

Something…clicked into place. While there was still some residual pain and tension around his temple and neck, the stabbing that had been making it worse stopped and Wataru was left with the sensation of his cores beating in unison beside one another.

He opened his eyes slowly and looked to Yuichi, who was watching him with something like awe.

“What just happened?” Nezumi asked quietly, likely meaning the question to only be for Shion.

Wataru answered for himself, surprisingly confident in what had happened. “I accepted the core as mine.” He reached up and took Yuichi’s hand pulling it away from his face to rest against his leg. “I’ve been fighting against it belonging to me since it was given to me. And it always was in opposition to me, beating out of sync with my heartbeat and then the pulse of the Esper core so that just made it feel all the more like it shouldn’t be there.” He closed his eyes again and curled forward, resting his forehead against Yuichi’s chest, breathing a sigh of relief as he felt Yuichi’s other hand hesitantly rest against his shoulder.

“The strain is lessened?” Shion asked.

“Yeah, it feels better.”

Wataru was understating things, but he didn’t want to get ahead of himself.

“Well, that’s good. Then we can work on making sure that’s where the core remains with little concentration on your part without Yuichi actually making contact with you.”

That took up the next few hours of Wataru’s life, getting used to holding his Ouroboros core where he wanted it, to moving it from one spot to another quickly and smoothly, having Yuichi try and coax it to another part of his body while he tried to keep it where he wanted.

If whatever he went through with the Devas was even a fraction as interesting as this, his next few years wouldn’t actually be a hassle to get through.


	15. Onward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wataru meets with the Devas to become one...

It was with gradually increasing anxiety that Wataru watched as another applicant was called in. The Devas were making steady progress working their way through the group, being about halfway done with the twenty or so people who were waiting. Most of the people waiting were teenagers or young adults, but there was also two pre-teens Wataru guessed were siblings, and three people likely in their thirties.

Wataru had been surprised by there being so many there, but Yuichi dismissed it easily: “These are only applicants and the Devas have about twenty different training programs, all with different requirements and commitments for the applicants to have to agree to. Not everyone agrees once they’re here and are given a better idea of what they’ll be doing while working for the Devas.”

“The assignments are given now?” Wataru responded, keeping a low voice to try and keep the conversation as private as possible not wanting to seem like he didn’t know anything when he was an applicant.

“It’s part of the post-evaluation. While it’s not a guarantee that it will be where the applicant gets assigned, it’s usually not far off. Requests for assignment are considered based on match of disposition to the job and if there are any available positions coming open close enough to when the applicant is finished with training.”

Wataru grumbled, “The application didn’t say anything about requests.”

“It’s likely they have an idea even before the evaluation of where they want to put you, being an Esper.”

Yuichi had been tense when he said that, like he had a suspicion he really didn’t want to have confirmed. And if it worried Yuichi, Wataru was worried. He couldn’t help it.

At least he could hold a conversation, be in the midst of nerve-wracking anxiety, and still hold his Ouroboros core in place hidden within the discharge of his Esper core without much more than a passing thought. And Shion kept telling him that it would only get easier as he got used to it.

Wataru then voiced the thought: “I wish we still had a reason to go see Shion and Nezumi.” Only part of that was to keep him focused elsewhere as another person who wasn’t him was called.

“They seem to have made an impression on you,” Yuichi answered easily, getting more accustomed to how Wataru could say things that seemed like they had no connection.

“They did a lot just because I asked for help. And it wasn’t just Shion telling Nezumi they were doing it and him having to listen. Especially these last few days, he really seemed like he didn’t mind helping and that he wanted us to succeed.”

“He’s an interesting person, I’ll give him that. And I agree that he did seem genuine in helping you out. He may only have started because of Shion but he’s certainly not as cold as he likes to let on.”

“You talked to him a little: did he ever tell you what he was besides Qilin?”

“He didn’t even say he was Qilin. I believe it’s common practice for users in law enforcement to not reveal their dispositions needlessly.”

“Oh, good. Because I’m already sick of that flicker of shock when I say my disposition.” He’d gotten it from the man he’d signed in with and the person standing behind him in line when he turned around.

Yuichi had smirked at him for that. “You are entirely too easy.”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll never sleep with you.”

The hours they’d spent together over the past few days, much of that being around Nezumi as well, meant that Wataru was currently a bit desensitized to comments like that, though he was pretty sure he still blushed. And he was getting so accustomed to Yuichi’s hands on him that he figured it actually probably wouldn’t be much longer before they took that step in their relationship.

Either way, the blend of surprise and desire that Yuichi got on his face made any embarrassment Wataru felt worth it.

It was made even better as the next name called was his own so Yuichi didn’t get a chance to retort.

Wataru stood up and walked across the room toward the man who was calling everyone back. Wataru stepped through the door and heard Yuichi following a step behind. The room itself was pretty unimpressive, just a standard office with a desk, a few chairs, shelves lining one wall, and another door on the wall adjacent to the one they’d entered through.

After seeing the U.E.A. office, Wataru wasn’t so surprised. He figured just because they were called some fancy name didn’t mean they had to work in any special environment. It was still a day job and they had parts of their job that was like a good percentage of any other job out there.

The man who had called Wataru back walked to the other side of the desk and sat down, indicating for them to be seated as well.

He made for a striking figure, Wataru decided. Tall, like Yuichi, with light brown hair and intelligent brown eyes, defined features and a healthy build that conveyed balance. And while he seemed professional, Wataru still got an easy-going feel from him, like he got his work done but did things to enjoy it along the way.

“My name is Masanobu Asaka and I’ll be conducting your evaluation today,” he introduced himself kindly and Wataru nodded. He turned his attention to Yuichi and added, “You must be Yuichi Kazuki." He waited for Yuichi to confirm. “I know your brother.”

Wataru was aware of Yuichi tensing just a bit, but he managed to keep it mostly subtle. “Many people do. He’s been with the Devas for quite a while and has worked on a lot of high priority cases.”

“Were you going to apply to the Devas if you hadn’t formed an affinity with Fujii?”

“It was being considered.”

Talk about giving the bare minimum, Wataru thought. Yuichi really wasn’t happy with the line of questions if the set in his shoulders was anything to go by.

Though this did remind Wataru of something he should have really been concerned about earlier. “We aren’t going to be associating with his brother often, are we?” Shohei might remember enough about their meeting – no matter how little he knew about Wataru – to be suspicious and convince the right people to look deeper into him.

Asaka looked down at the folder opened in front of him, Wataru able to see enough of it to recognize his application with notes made on it and another form that was obviously what the Devas worked from.

“I doubt it. His area of expertise doesn’t often bring him close to newer applicants or those in the training programs.”

There would still be the risk of running into him, but it would be more down to chance. That was a break when they weren’t getting many.

“Speaking of, let’s go ahead and get you taken care of. You are confirmed to be an Esper; Agent Shion Himura sent us a review of what his Clairvoyance perceived. He was the one who suggested you apply?”

“Yeah, he said that it would be a good idea to try and get training from the Devas, that the programs they have would be ideal for what I’m apparently capable of.”

“Yes, he also sent us the report of the Oni’s attack that awakened your core, including pictures of the sidewalk. It’s impressive.”

Not the word Wataru would use, but it felt unnecessary to argue terminology.

“There aren’t many who come in here with paperwork from a U.E.A. agent to refer to or an Oni attack recorded against them, so that actually speeds up the processing on our end. This is as much for your protection as anything and that is the Deva’s job: to protect against Oni. So, we’ll just get a quick confirmation of the core’s presence and power level and move forward with the application process.”

“How do you get that?” Wataru asked, hoping he sounded conversational and nothing else.

Asaka reached to his right and grabbed a couple pieces of paper, sliding one to Wataru and then one to Yuichi. “With these.”

Wataru looked down at the paper and got confused at seeing it was just a diagram of a person, like one used by the doctor to indicate injuries.

“You’re a Glyph?” Yuichi asked suddenly and Wataru looked between the two.

Wataru was pretty sure he recognized the disposition, he just couldn’t remember right away what it meant.

“Yes, this Deva office currently doesn’t have a Clairvoyant or Seer so I have altered a rune I found to perform their tasks to complete evaluations.”

That reminded Wataru enough: they used drawings called runes to channel their power. They were generally considered among the most versatile users as long as they could pull off being able to create the runes.

And now that he was looking for something, Wataru noticed a little symbol in the top right corner of the paper he’d been handed. Asaka would have brushed his hand over it when he handed it to them and that activated it.

“It’s easy: just run your hand over the diagram and it’ll display where your core is centered and indicate a current power cap for you.”

Wataru really had to work hard to not breathe a sigh of relief: so, it was working off the same principle as a Clairvoyant and that’s what Wataru had been expecting to have to conceal his core from. After all, he was hiding one core in the discharge of another so the discharge blended together to make for a single thing to see. Shion had constantly checked how well he was concealing it and, even knowing it was there, the agent had lost track of his uncentered core a few times.

So, Wataru reached out and did as instructed, flattening his palm over the paper to cover the width of the diagram, then slid it down to the bottom in a smooth motion, Yuichi doing the same at his side. When he took his hand off and looked at the paper, it let off a slight glow around the rune and then a light green spot bled into view on the right side of the skull while Yuichi’s displayed a sharp orange at the chest.

“What do the colors mean? Are those the power levels?” Wataru asked.

“Yes. Weaker levels show up as blue, then it progresses through green, yellow, orange, and red, and sealed cores show up as black,” Asaka replied a bit distracted as he made notes on the forms in front of him. “Your power level is reading a bit lower than I expected considering the damage you did, but Kazuki’s is average for a Paladin of his age and experience.”

Wataru had been expecting it to show up as higher because of the two cores it was taking readings from, but he couldn’t exactly say anything. Instead he said something Nezumi had made a point of, not worried about saying something he shouldn’t since it would be in the report of the Oni’s attack, “Apparently, it’s supposed to require some effort to move things with an Esper core, but I haven’t noticed that. I didn’t even know it was me at first. That is one of the reasons Agent Himura recommended I apply.”

“Ah, right, I remember reading that. Both of your levels are within acceptable range to qualify for the training program you applied for. While Kazuki won’t be participating in the training, he will be attending with you to help you maintain as much balance as possible while learning control over your abilities.” Asaka looked up at Wataru then, his focus honing in on him and making him a bit uncomfortable. “Do you agree to two years position in the Devas?”

“Yeah, that was detailed extensively in the application.”

“We are looking to assign you to rare disposition investigations because of your own core being rare and also exhibiting unusual traits. You’ll most commonly be speaking to people suspected to have rare cores awaken and offering them understanding and support in deciding whether or not they will pursue a life using their cores.”

“That’s a Deva thing?” Wataru asked, slipping a little back into his more dubious mindset towards the Devas.

“People need support. If they have someone to talk to, someone who can maybe help them see that they aren’t alone, rare core or not, then perhaps that’s one less Oni designation we have to assign.” Asaka paused for a few seconds and Wataru figured he was debating whether or not to actually say anything else. He settled on sharing, “It is a relatively new responsibility for the Devas to take on. Before, it was something left to parents and school counselors.”

While Wataru wondered if that was something he could actually be any good at considering how little he tended to say the right things to people he wasn’t close to, he was also grateful that they weren’t automatically wanting to place him somewhere he’d be likely to be fighting. He knew self-defense was a part of the training, but he wasn’t looking forward to ever having to use it except for the next Oni attack he was certain would happen.

“I agree to that,” he declared.

“Keep in mind that we may change your assignment if during your training we find reason to believe there is somewhere else that you’ll be better suited. Because you aren’t eighteen and won’t be by the time you finish training, our options will be limited for a while. And remember that two years is only a minimum requirement. You are allowed to apply for long-term positions as soon as you turn eighteen.”

“Yeah, I understand.” Wataru would have to spend some time a little later on looking at what his options actually were for the two years he’d be with the Devas, but that could be further down the priorities for now.

“Then, unless you have any questions, we’re done here. I hope your time with the Devas is all you need it to be.”

Something about that didn’t sound like Asaka was just going through the motions, it seemed like he’d specifically said it for Wataru and that was a bit confusing.

“I’ll be checking in with you every few weeks for the duration of your training to get an idea of what you see progressing. But, for now, you get to take a quick tour of the facilities and will be introduced to your instructors. I’ll see you soon.”

Asaka stood and held out his hand to Wataru to shake, which Wataru did as he stood, then Asaka did the same for Yuichi but almost as an afterthought. He then led them to the door behind him and opened it for them to step through on their own and with that Wataru was a part of the Devas.

* * *

“I can’t believe you actually went through with it,” Kawamura declared from where he sat backwards in Wataru’s desk chair, watching Wataru as he gathered clothes to pack into his duffel.

He’d chosen to stay at the Deva facility during the week and spend weekends at home. Between continuing his regular education in addition to the training he’d be receiving for his core, he’d be working more and longer hours than he did at school. And it was about half an hour commute and that was half an hour he’d be exposed.

A main point in doing this was to restrict his exposure for Oni to take advantage of.

Yuichi, of course, would be sharing the room because of their affinity. It was apparently policy for a romantic affinity like they had to mean they were put in the same room. Sure, the room they’d been given had two beds in it, but he hadn’t told anyone about them being in the same room. Wataru didn’t necessarily mind and Yuichi’s expression had gone carefully blank when they’d been told, but it was still something he was going to need time to get used to.

“I don’t care that you said your opinion might change if you became a user, this is still just crazy. You are about the most anti-Deva person there can be and now you’re going to be one of them for a few years?”

“I need training and protection from the Oni that apparently no longer care who sees them attack me. The secret’s out that I’m being targeted anyway, so I might as well take advantage of what’s happened,” Wataru replied as he passed his bed where Yuichi was sitting watching the two of them.

“Do you have any idea how lucky you are that the core that awakened was something rare or they never would have taken you. What if the Ouroboros core awakens while you’re there? They’ll stop training you immediately and you’ll be transferred to protective custody.”

“Or they’ll do what Shohei said and seal it,” Wataru mused. He wasn’t going to tell anyone else about being a Chimera until he was done with his obligation.

“And you’re okay with this?” he asked and Wataru was about to answer when he realized Kawamura had directed that to Yuichi.

“Yes. I agree a top priority needs to be him learning to control the Esper core. It’s dangerous to be left unchecked and I don’t know how to train something that is influenced by physiological motions and apparently needs little conscious effort on his part.” Yuichi paused and gave Kawamura a slight grin. “Do you really believe I wouldn’t have protested if I didn’t agree with Wataru’s decision?”

“You’re his boyfriend: I don’t think you can be trusted to remain completely objective.”

Kawamura was getting entirely too comfortable with Yuichi for him to just come out and say something like that. Wataru figured the two of them not spending much time around each other for a while would ultimately be good for him.

“Weren’t you working with that agent we met? Why can’t you just keep learning from him?”

“Because it’s not Shion’s job to train me,” Wataru replied easily enough. He wished he could keep learning from Shion; he’d been a good teacher. “Shion has a job that doesn’t regularly leave hours on end to spend with some teenager.”

“And he wouldn’t get the protection being a Deva offers,” Yuichi added. “This is as much about getting Wataru out of the open and more difficult for Oni to reach. Hajime is still a very real threat and we need to restrict him from attacking again.”

“I’ll be given a panic button that I can use if I’m attacked. But with the Esper core, I’m not an easy target anymore. I think Hajime will back off for a while.”

“You’re assuming a lot concerning the Oni side of this.”

“Yeah, well, that’s all I _can_ do. I have no idea if this’ll actually work out, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try it. It’s two years and then my obligation to them is fulfilled and I can figure out what to do from there.”

Kawamura watched him for a few moments, then dropped his head onto the back of the chair with a light _thunk_.

“Not like anything anyone says will ever change your mind. You can be such a stubborn ass.” Wataru frowned at his friend. “I expect texts and a few hours on the weekends.”

Wataru couldn’t help but smile at that: his friend was mostly objecting because this meant they weren’t going to see each other very often. They’d been best friends for so many years that this would be different for them to not see each other almost every day. “I thought that would be a given.”

When Kawamura left a few hours later, he’d unexpectedly wrapped his arms around Wataru’s shoulders in a tight hug. Wataru hesitated to return the hold, completely at a loss of how to respond, and just as he was about to pat his friend’s back, Kawamura backed away with a wide grin. “I’m gonna miss you. I know you’re not really going anywhere, but you won’t be there to give me my daily dose of cynicism. It’ll be weird.”

“Realism, not cynicism,” Wataru corrected absently as he felt his emotions rise. He hadn’t expected Kawamura to get emotional about this, but maybe not telling him until he was accepted was probably not the best way to have gone about it. “Yeah, it’ll be weird not to see you.”

“Are we sure I’m the one dating him?” Yuichi cut in and Wataru felt himself blush a little while Kawamura looked over his shoulder to give Yuichi a wry look.

“You’re just jealous because I knew him first. I know him better than you and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Kawamura mocked.

“I could tell you about our sex life,” Yuichi retorted easily.

Wataru let out a low growl before he pushed against Kawamura, guiding him toward the door before they got any further into it as he called back, “No, you couldn’t!”

Was it wrong that he didn’t feel like he’d miss his friend all that much at this moment?

He saw Kawamura out and returned to where Yuichi waited in his room, making sure to give him a glare before double-checking to make sure he had everything. His parents had already discussed the situation with the school, as had Yuichi’s, so they were set to start the next morning as the Deva instructor had wanted instead of waiting until Monday like most of the other applicants. He’d been worried about letting Wataru go untrained for any longer, too, and he didn’t even know the teen.

Satisfied that he was as ready as he was going to be, Wataru sat down heavily on his bed next to Yuichi.

Yuichi stayed quiet long enough for Wataru to relax his weight back onto his hands resting on the bed behind him. “You realize that Kawamura is more opposed to me insinuating we have sex than you are, right?”

Wataru gave Yuichi another glare for bringing it up again. Their currently non-existent sex life shouldn’t be a go-to topic of discussion.

“I don’t care. Put some effort into finding ways to win against him and leave that out of it.”

He caught Yuichi’s smirk before the older teen leaned into him and teasingly brushed his lips against Wataru’s neck, tickling at his pulse and making Wataru choke a bit on his breath. “It’s not like anything I say will be something we’ve actually done.”

“I’m pretty sure that makes it worse.”

“You’re just no fun,” Yuichi said with what Wataru could only describe as a pout as he pulled away. His expression changed quickly, though, becoming serious and Wataru guessed at what they were going to talk about. They hadn’t actually had any time to themselves since leaving the Deva facility. “Watching you talking with that Deva, Asaka, it made me think we might actually pull this off. It’s a bit of a relief.”

Wataru reached over and took Yuichi’s hand, holding it tightly. “We gotta believe that it will. It’s when we start to doubt that we’ll make mistakes. But if we just stay focused and keep our eyes on everyone else, we’ll know what they see in us.”

Yuichi gave him an awed look and Wataru flushed again. “Where did that come from?”

“Mostly from my grandfather. He’s the one who told me to always be watching others, because I was good at it. And he was good at what he did, which wasn’t very different now that I know more about it. The day he gave me his core was the last time I saw him. I need to start respecting what he said to me instead of fighting it. That hasn’t gotten me anywhere and I’m tired of feeling like every day is a battle I’m barely keeping up with.”

Yuichi reached across with his free hand and cupped Wataru’s cheek, then leaned in to kiss him.

“You know, I thought it was ridiculous when Asaka said where they intended to assign you, helping out people with rare cores. I knew the only reason they’re considering putting you there is because of your rare cores. But, they just might be on the right track without really meaning to. It may not be obvious, but you do have good instincts of people’s intentions, whether or not they have another agenda. I think it’ll just get better during your training.”

“You think I’ll succeed as a Deva? No matter if what I think of them stays the same?”

“It’s not about being a Deva: this is about you being you. As long as that’s how you live, I can’t see you failing. Besides, I’ll be there to keep you on track. Which is a relief since we know what your attention span is like.”

Wataru rolled his eyes and shook his head a little without dislodging Yuichi’s hand.

“We’ll get what we need to fight Hajime, to keep him and other Oni from taking the core that is yours. We don’t need to be Devas to want to oppose the Oni.”

That was true.

“Just don’t forget: I love you and I’ll be with you the whole way. You can’t get rid of me.”

Wataru smiled at the declaration. He then closed the distance between them and was the one to kiss Yuichi, pressing into it to show he didn’t want this one to be as brief. Yuichi answered the request and slid his hand around to the back of Wataru’s neck as he licked into Wataru’s mouth. They came together like this a few times, Wataru getting lost in the sensations Yuichi caused in him.

He didn’t think he would ever get tired of kissing Yuichi as long as they felt like this.

Yuichi leaned his forehead against Wataru’s taking in a deep breath and opening his eyes to lock gaze with Wataru.

“I apologize in advance, but do you have any idea how hard it is to pull away from you?” Wataru had to put a lot of effort into not pulling away out of embarrassment. “I won’t push you into doing something you don’t want to, but I love you and want you. It’s just how it is. I just want you to know that I think you’re more than worth waiting for, so I will.”

Wataru’s heart swelled and he felt a prickle of moisture at the corner of his eyes, surprising himself with the rise of emotion at Yuichi’s declaration. So, he just kissed Yuichi again to hide the tears before whispering against his lips, “I’m getting there. I love you, too.”

They spent about an hour entwined together on his bed, much like they had the day before working with Shion and Nezumi. Wataru hoped they could have this all the time, that they wouldn’t lose these kinds of moments once they really started pushing their ruse.

But they were in it together, the two of them hiding from both Oni and Devas. Wataru had no idea if they’d last the duration, but he was committed to trying his best to see it through. And everything about Yuichi said he was as invested. That was important and would very likely be the reason Wataru would make it even a day with the Devas.

He’d take it one day at a time, though. He had to keep calm, maintain balance, keep his secret.

They’d deal with the Oni the right way the next time they met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there we have it. The end of this installment for the Deva Chronicles series. This was the first one I wrote simply because that's what inspiration hit for first. I do hope that other fics in the series bring more readers here so that these characters that I love get some more attention. Either way, they will be showing up in other series installments as there is an overarching plot, though I am thinking about doing some side stories that have a gap filler aspect to them that won't be directly connected to said grand scheme. I'm still working through so much and this series will be getting a lot of attention as things work out.  
> I am currently writing the No. 6 focused fic, which will be the first in the series once I finish it and start posting. So, if you found this because of the crossover with No. 6, that story is coming soon to an AO3 near you. ^_^  
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you again.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to ask any questions you have.
> 
> I have decided with the help of a commenter on one of the other series' fics to include a glossary of the different dispositions and a general idea of what they can do. That way, you've got easy access to the ones pertinent to the story (because I have worked out details for over a hundred dispositions for the world overall).  
> Paladin: enhances fighting instinct, stamina, strength, and recovery  
> Ouroboros: can transfer a core from one person to another  
> Qilin: creates barriers and shields  
> Regen: accelerates healing  
> Shade: creates a “mark” on other users that causes bruising around where their cores are located and can be tracked  
> Nova: affects density in the air or in objects  
> Elemental: Controls an element through physiological motions with a secondary designation given for the specific element  
> Sidhe: controls the wind  
> Esper: moves objects, requiring physiological motions  
> Glyph: uses drawn symbols to channel their core’s power into what they want to use it for
> 
> Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy.


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